A Change of the Heart
by Rubens Lilium
Summary: It has only been a short time since Malcho sought revenge against Iago, now broken free, he plans to succeed in it. Yet a glitch interferes. Malcho meets a young harpy named Alisha, and he soon finds himself in a dilemma as he begins to grow close to her. Now he must decide what means the most: Alisha or vengence. MalchoXOC. R
1. Chapter 1: A Black Heart

**A Change of the Heart**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY original Aladdin characters in this story, nor do I own the settings involved with them. They all belong to their rightful owners. I only own Alisha, Zadesh, Sabin, and Brone.**

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**Chapter One**

A Black Heart

Deep within the mountains of Agrabah, past the palace, and its city, came the high volcano. It erupted no more than a week ago. There were no injuries, no deaths, and the lava hardened as quickly as it blew up.

However…you would have to stop and listen very carefully so you could hear the sounds of a struggling creature…. No one was hurt during the eruption of this volcano, nor were there any fatalities. But there was, conversely, a very angry and spiteful winged snake...

Malcho lay trapped in the volcano, binded by the hardened lava. He had been fighting to get out for over a week now. _First the Frozen North, now this!_ He thought, bitterly. With his efforts in the beginning, he was able to pry his left wing free. It was a start, of course. One wing down, the rest of his body to go…

He pushed and pulled, fueled by his agonizing humiliation of how he got here in the first place!

After he had been over powered by Thundra back at his rain forest, Malcho went into hiding, and waited for the chance to get his powers back. Years passed, but Thundra's guard was never down. Until, then, Malcho discovered an idiot, loud-mouthed parrot had fallen in love with her, and — something Malcho will never understand why — she returned those feelings. Thundra had been convinced she needed a "break" from her responsibilities, and was foolish enough to actually leave the parrot in charge. Malcho wasted no time. With the slightest little effort, he got his powers back. But it didn't last long, because it was that same parrot who tricked Malcho into banishing himself to the Frozen North!

Eventually, Malcho broke himself free. And there was only one thing on his mind: Revenge. He traveled back to Agrabah only to discover that that parrot was living in the life of luxury in the palace! Caramba, the humiliation! Each time, Malcho came so close to getting his revenge, but every time that sultan named Aladdin kept getting in his way. And just when he believed he was about to get back at the bird, Aladdin, with the _whack _of a mallet, split the volcano they were standing upon open. And Malcho was confined in his new prison.

"When I get out of here," Malcho growled to himself as he tried working his way out of the lava, "they're going to pay for making a fool out of me — Malcho the Great!"

Malcho tried to pull himself out with all his might, yet with no avail. He stopped only to catch his breath. Again he tried, and still he was nowhere close to freedom.

After a few more attempts (and fails) Malcho rubbed a temple with his free wing. He gave an aggravated sigh. "This isn't going to work."

And it came to him, suddenly. That might work…. Malcho began to wiggle his way as he pulled himself as far as his body could stretch, like he was digging into the ground, just backwards. After a minute or two his muscles started to get tired, and he was debating whether to give up and think of something else — when abruptly, he heard the sound of breaking rocks!

Bueno! Bueno! At last, he was going to be free!

He twisted himself more and more, until — _CRASH! _—the lava gave in.

Malcho slithered out of the pit quicker than a heartbeat, and he caught his breath. He shook grains of dust off his deep purple scales. Malcho tilted his head to the twilight sky, feeling the wind breeze past him. He took it in, and slowly, he spread out his scaly, night-black wings. Malcho heard the lower half of his spine crack as he stretched out the muscles of his body, as if he had just woken up from a deep slumber.

Malcho smiled to himself, "Ah, much better. It feels so good to be — OW!"

He yelped and cringed at a deep, unexpected, sharp pain in his right wing that stung him as soon as it unfurled.

Malcho winced. _Caramba, you have to be joking. _Thankfully, there was no blood or broken bones as he inspected his wing. No doubt — it was a sprain. He must have twisted it when he broke free, and was too caught up in his enjoyment to notice.

"Marvelous." Malcho grumbled out loud. He remembered the last time he'd sprained his wing. That tree had the nerve to move in his way as he was flying… He couldn't fly for a while after that. Bueno…

Bitterly, he thought, _Seems I am going to be _walking _to Agrabah._

Malcho traveled as night fell.

He stopped somewhere in the middle of nowhere, the pain in his wing finally became unbearable. He tried to ignore it for as long as he could as he slithered across the sand, but now he could no longer stand it.

"Damn." Malcho winced. "At this rate, it will take weeks for me to get to Agrabah." He gripped his aching wing.

As if a gracious force had heard him, the clouds parted, exposing the bright moon and its light upon the cold and dark desert. Something far in the distance caught Malcho's eye, he followed it and blinked in disbelief at what lay far a head. Could it really be a…?

The moon's light shined down on an oasis. And where there was an oasis, there had to be one thing — something Malcho was dying for.

Water!

In a flash, Malcho slithered in the direction of the oasis like there was no mañana. As soon as he reached it, the first thing he went for was the pool of water.

He shoved both his head and wing in it. Malcho sucked up as much water he could, taking in its cool and refreshing taste. He had no idea how thirsty he was until he saw it; his mouth felt dry as sand.

And the water eased the sharp pain in his twisted wing.

With his thirst filled, Malcho lifted just his head out of the pool. His long coal-black hair fell in his bright yellow and green eyes; he brushed it back with his good wing. Drops of water ran down his neck, and dripped off his nose and edges of his hair.

Now that the throbbing of his sprain was slowly drifting away, he could finally think.

_As soon as I get to Agrabah, that boy and idiot parrot will pay! And _nothing _will get in my way. Not this time._

He didn't care if he had to face all the palace guards, the genie, even all of Agrabah — Malcho would get his revenge. He wanted to devour Iago, so he would never have to hear the obnoxious, screechy sound of his voice ever again. He wanted to watch the life fade from Aladdin's eyes for imprisoning him in that damned volcano. And once they were taken care of, Thundra would be next. Malcho would get his medallion back no matter what it takes. She could summon the greatest storm to ever be summoned, and he'd fight through it. She could attack him with a deadly blizzard, he would strike back. He didn't care. Malcho deserved what was rightfully his!

And those who wronged him deserved to pay!

"Si…" he said aloud, musing as he gazed coldly at the moon. "They all deserve to pay. Every last one of them…."

Malcho watched as a clump of clouds drifted in front of the shining moon. Their shadows casted upon the godforsaken desert, engulfing it and Malcho in darkness.

While an even darker shadow casted over Malcho's cold-blooded heart.

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Well, here it is, my first Malcho chapter:) let me know how I did.

R&R


	2. Chapter 2: Breath Taking

******Disclaimer: I do not own ANY original Aladdin character's in this story, nor do I own the settings involved with them. They all belong to their rightful owners. I only own Alisha, Zadesh, Sabin, and Brone.**

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**Chapter Two**

Breath Taking

"Explain to me again what happened." He said, sitting in the calmest of composures in his wooden, red velvet cushioned chair. Both his hands gripped the buzzard's skull handle of his black cane.

His black eyes stared down the two lackeys in front of him, trembling on their knees.

"Uh, w-well, Boss, it's like we t-told you," Sabin, a man as skinny as a twig, stammered. He wore only a dark blue vest and light green pants that came down to his knees on his toothpick legs. His black hair was a greasy mess.

"Y-Yeah, Boss. L-Like we told ya." Brone, a fat, pot-bellied, as-dumb-as-can-be, man chimed in. His pants were a dark pink, and his black hair was pulled back into a tiny ponytail. Aftershave hairs budded around his upper lip.

He closed his eyes, trying to remain calm. "I know what you told me, I just want to know how she escaped so _easily_!" He growled.

Sabin gulped. "It was unexpected, Boss."

"We didn't see it coming." Brone added, shaking.

"W-We never thought she could be so violent!"

He raised a brow at the word. "Violent? Her?"

They nodded in unison. "She hit Sabin over the head with her food bowl."

"Then she slammed it into Brone's face. And when we both came to, she was, well…gone."

He inspected them with keen, cold eyes. He saw a bruise on the verge of darkening on Brone's face, while Sabin rubbed what seemed to be a sore spot on his head. At least they were telling the truth.

His eyes narrowed. _Idiots._

"Two grown men, overpowered by a scrawny, weak, and helpless creature like her."

Brone and Sabin jolted as he shot up from his chair, gripping his cane tightly in one hand, and shouted, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't club you both to death right now!"

They huddled together for protection, sweating. Brone gave a shaky smile, "'cause you're a nice guy, Boss?"

He lifted his cane in the air.

Sabin raised his hands in the air to stop him, panicking, "because you still need us! You still need us, Boss!"

He held back, his cane fell back to his side and on the ground with a _tap!_ He growled. Damn it all. "I want you two to head out into the village and purchase me chains. I don't care what kind; just make sure they're strong. Understand?"

Sabin and Brone smiled, relieving a deep breath, "Sure thing, Boss!" Sabin said, and they dashed out of the tent not a second later.

He sighed, and fell back in his chair, rubbing a temple. He _had _to hire smarter lackeys…. But those bumbling nitwits were the least of his troubles.

Out of his ruby-colored, silk belt, he pulled out a single feather — as white as snow. It was old, but still beautiful. He remembered plucking it off her after a customer said, "It has to be fake."

Of course, the man quickly shut his mouth after he ripped the feather off her; the blood on the end of it and the cry she made was proof enough for him.

He had to get her back. Aside from his 'Magical Elixir', she was his gold mine. Any human being would give any amount of money to see her for longer than a moment. What if someone else finds her? He feared…. She wouldn't be his anymore, and he would lose everything…!

No! _I'll be __**damned **__before that happens!_

He clenched the feather in his grasp, clasping it with such force it could've turned to ash in his palm.

"You can run from me, Alisha. But you can't hide."

* * *

Malcho soaked his aching wing in the water. The pain gradually began to ease.

"Caramba, I forgot how painful a sprain can be." He mused aloud.

Knowing he was grounded, Malcho spent the night at the oasis he found. His eyes were droopy; he — _gladly _— would have gotten some sleep if his wing hadn't kept him up half the night. This was maybe the…thirteenth time he's had to soak it.

Exhausted, Malcho rubbed the back of his head. "What a predicament." He mumbled. He despised the thought, but he knew it would be best if he stayed at the oasis and wait for his wing to heal, or at least until he could fly with it.

Malcho hissed with venom in his jaws. "Blast! I should be at Agrabah right now and cracking that Aladdin's skull in two!" He pounded his tail on the ground, imagining Iago under it. "But no, instead I — Malcho the Magnificent — am stuck here on the puny pile of earth because of a sprain!"

Thundra would laugh if she could see him now, making his humiliation even worse. He could hear it perfectly: _"The great and mighty Malcho delaying his revenge over a twisted wing. I am so glad I lived to see this." _He heard her laugh echo in his mind, as if she was right beside him. It grew louder and louder the more he tried to drown it out. Her laugh rang in his head. He gritted his fangs, his body shaking with boiling frustration.

"ENOUGH!" He finally roared as he whipped around and punched his good wing into the tall tree that stood behind him. The tree shook from the hit, a small handful of leaves falling around him and safely on the ground without a sound. At last, Thundra's laugh faded away.

Malcho panted, and took in the silence. _Thank goodness._ He pressed his head to the tree. "The sooner my sprain heals the better."

He would be ready, then. Ready to make Iago and Aladdin pay…!

* * *

She ran towards the spec of green in the distance, praying it wasn't some mirage.

_I have to get away! _She would've been able to run faster if her brown, hooded cloak weren't longer than herself, but she couldn't take the risk of one of the men seeing her…

She picked up her pace. She craned her head around to see if they were closing in on her; it was hard because her hood got in the way. She tried to look beyond it. Maybe they gave up and — "Uge!"

She fell backwards and hit the ground, flat on her bottom. She cringed, her hood falling back and her brown hair falling around her face. Thankfully she hadn't lost her wind when she hit the hard force. _That's what I get for not watching where I was going, I guess._ What on earth did she hit? And how big was —

Her body froze at what she saw when she looked up through her hair…

Malcho glared at the girl. He felt her run into him, though it didn't hurt. It felt more like a leaf grazing over him. But how dare she — a loathsome human — run into the great Malcho?

He turned to the girl, his glare narrowing at her. "What do you —?"

A sudden desert wind blew by them in a rush; gently it swept the girl's brown hair back from her face. Malcho stone glare fell…

He saw the girl's eyes were green, a deep green — green that reminded him of the trees of his rain forest. These eyes mesmerized Malcho. They were so clear and so brilliant, he couldn't turn away. All the irritation he felt for her melted through his scales, soaking into the ground beneath him. He had never seen eyes more beautiful than hers in his life.

Something twitched inside his chest, but Malcho gave it no thought.

He blinked at the girl; he could see she was afraid of him, studying the shock in her expression. He wanted to speak, but a lump lodged itself in his throat. Not that he, of course, knew _what _to say, exactly.

"There she is — up a head!" New voices caught Malcho's attention. He saw two figures coming their way.

He looked back at the girl, who shot her eyes to the figures in the distance, and then to the giant winged snake. He saw panic. Were they after her? His glare returned at the thought.

_Humans…what sick and filthy, despicable creatures…._

"C'mon, girly, we don't bite —Whoa!" One of the two men gasped when Malcho came into view. They stopped dead in their tracks; one fell backwards, scrambling on the ground to move away. "W-What the hell is that thing?!"

The girl turned around to the two men. Horror and terror shined in their faces as they stared wide-eyed at the snake, trembling in their spots.

Malcho couldn't help but smile. He always loved the looks of fear he got from any creature, whether it was man or animal. He knew he had them where he wanted them without even trying.

He saw that the two men were clearly poor, as he inspected them. Their clothes were more like rags, and they were both filthy, the smelly musk from them made Malcho want to gag.

_How pathetic._

Malcho slithered up to them — the girl quickly moved out of his way — with that smile on his face. His shadow fell across the two terrified men, who were too scared to even move. "You two may not bite," he hissed, raising himself higher to show off intimidation, "but _I _do."

Then Malcho roared, it echoed like a crack of thunder in the air around the oasis. You could hear the spastic flutter of startled birds flying away for safety.

The men screamed. In a flash, they were running away in the opposite direction, crying out for help.

Malcho descended to the ground and laughed, shaking his head as he watched the frightened humans run, "Ah, Bueno. I still haven't lost the ability to strike fear in the hearts of humans." He chuckled with a sly, smug grin, waves quaking down his body as he did. "Of course, who wouldn't tremble in my presence?"

He remembered, then. "Oh…speaking of humans…" Turning, he searched for the girl. No doubt he frightened her as well.

She pressed herself against the tree, her rounded eyes on Malcho. She panted, her chest heaving up and down. It was hard for Malcho to tell because the brown cloak covered her from head to toe.

Cautiously, he slowly went up to her, speaking in a soft voice. "Chica, you're all right. You won't be harmed from me."

What was he saying? He couldn't believe what he was doing. This girl was a human, why was he suddenly so concerned for her?

The girl continued panting; Malcho could see exhaustion on her face. Maybe she wasn't all right.

The girl's feet buckled beneath her, all of a sudden. She lost her balance, falling to the side.

In a heartbeat, Malcho reached out with his good wing and his tail, catching the girl before she touched the ground. She laid her head on in his wing, unconscious, as if she were fast asleep. Malcho gazed at the girl again, and now that they were closer, he could get a better look at her. He was taken back, the girl was beautiful. Her long, bark-brown hair fell and dangled in the air. Her bangs formed her round face, and, he noticed, how light her skin was, especially for someone who lives in the sun all day.

The girl was so light, like Malcho was holding up a feather.

He was breath taken by this girl…then he saw the tie to her cloak came undone…. Malcho eyes widened. "What in the world…?" his voice was a quiet gasp.

This girl…_wasn't _a girl…!

She wore regular human clothes; long velvet colored pants, and a torn, garnet, sleeveless shirt, but she…her arms were _wings_! _Pure white wings_! And her feet were taloned, like a bird's!

Malcho couldn't believe what he was seeing — what she was. He knew there was something odd about this girl, but he wasn't expecting _this_! He _reeeaallyy _wasn't expecting this at all….


	3. Chapter 3: Selflessness

**Disclaimer****: I do not own ANY of the original Aladdin characters, nor do I own the settings involved with them. They all belong to their rightful owners. I only own Alisha, Zadesh, Sabin, and Brone.**

**R&R**

**Enjoy**

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**Chapter Three**

Selflessness

_Alisha…_

She heard his voice in the darkness. Deep in it, she saw his cold black eyes, and his smile that she feared.

_Alisha._

She awoke with a startle, her eyes immediately rounded and staring into the night sky. Beads of sweat dabbed her brow. She raised herself up from the cloak beneath her, catching her breath.

"Oh, thank goodness." Alisha breathed. She put a wing to her chest and felt her hurried heart pump beneath it. "It was just a nightmare."

She wiped her brow quickly, trying to calm herself. How long were these nightmares going to last? Alisha thought they would stop, but lately…they just seemed to be getting worse night after night. How long had it been since she actually had a good nights' sleep?

Alisha moved her other wing, and suddenly, caressed something cool. She jumped out of her thoughts and turned her head to the side and saw water. She dove for it not a moment sooner. At last, something to quench her thirst.

Alisha had been traveling for days, stopping only for food and water. She recalled the kind old woman she met at the village she was just at. She never took her cloak off, of course…. The woman was generous enough to give her some food and even some water from her well. Her kindness touched Alisha; she had never experienced such a thing in so long. She was just about to get some water for her journey, until the two men started coming their way.

She attacked before they could touch her and the old woman; she tossed the water at them and ran, knowing they followed her. They chased her far out of their village. Alisha was too scared to notice how thirsty she was.

Alisha lifted her head from the pool, wiping her mouth and chin of the water. They were gone now, which was all that mattered to her — wait.

Alisha stopped and paused for a minute. The two men were gone…but…how, and why? She tried to recollect what happened as they were chasing her.

_I was running…I spotted the patch of green…and I think I hit something — something _really_ hard — and — _

"Hola,"

Alisha jumped. She spun around and her mouth dropped in a heartbeat at what she saw standing before her. She had to look up just to see him. The snake —she remembered. The giant snake! His purple scales shined as the half-moon looked down upon them both. His bright gold eyes illuminated in the darkness, and his hair was black, as were his…wings!

She couldn't believe it when she saw them. Wings, like hers. She noticed that one was particularly closer to his side than the other was.

Alisha stepped back from the snake, and a piece of earth caved in beneath her taloned foot. She lost her footing, and Alisha felt herself falling backwards. She was prepared to feel the cold chill of the water behind her, until suddenly, she stopped. She gasped; something wrapped itself around her waist. She looked and saw a tail, holding her just an inch above the pool.

Her eyes found the snake, and slowly he brought her back down on to the ground.

"Forgive me if I frightened you…senorita." Malcho struggled what to call her (since clearly 'chica' was…well….)

She quickly got back on her feet and backed away to the side, snatching her cloak from the ground as she did. She never took her eyes off him.

Malcho watched her, studying the apprehension on her face. "My, you're a nervous one, aren't you?"

"Who are you?" The winged girl demanded, suddenly, and very boldly.

Malcho raised a brow at her. Was she serious? He almost started laughing. "And might I add bold." He smiled. A little thing like her questioning Malcho the Great like this. He chuckled.

He couldn't help but admire it a little — it was a loco and idiotic move, he'd admit, but it was interesting to see it coming from a tiny creature like her.

"I am Malcho, senorita." He introduced, giving a little bow as he did, adding his charm in it, "Malcho the Great or, other times, Malcho the Magnificent."

Alisha blinked at him. Malcho the Great, or Malcho the Magnificent…? She could only imagine the size of his ego… "All right, Malcho, why did you save me?"

His mouth opened, but then it quickly shut. Why _did _he save her? He asked himself that same question a hundred times now. He hadn't the slightest idea how to respond.

"…Is this how you thank all your saviors?" Malcho asked, trying to avoid her question since he had no answer. "A very ungrateful way if you ask me."

He truly was irritated. He saved her — though he had no idea why — and instead of saying thanks, makes demands. How unthankful.

Alisha looked to the side, beginning to feel a little guilty. The snake was right. He did save her, and he didn't have to. Who knows what could have happened to her if he chose not to…

She sighed, rubbing the side of her wing. "Thank you." She said, turning back to him. "My name is Alisha by the way."

_Alisha. _Her name was something he had never heard of before. It sounded odd…and he liked the sound of it…

Malcho lifted his tail in front of her. Alisha looked from it to him. Was he gesturing her to shake it, like a hand shake?

"Mucho gusto — er, pleased to meet you." He had to remind himself to use English, in case she didn't know what he was saying.

Alisha giggled, and took his tail in her wing, "Encantado."

His face gave a beam of excitement. "Alisha, you know Spanish?"

"Just a little," Alisha answered, forming a tiny pinch with her feathers on her wing as fingers. "I only know a few words and responses, other than those, I'm clueless."

Huh, only a few words and responses. What a shame. He hoped he would be able to talk with someone in his Native tongue. Still, a few words or not, this creature became much more interesting to Malcho.

Alisha easily relaxed now. With her cloak, she set it on the ground and gently sat on it by Malcho's side.

"You know, wearing a like that in a desert wasn't a very good idea, amiga." He pointed out.

When he caught her after she fainted, he could see the sweat on her brow. Right then he knew she was de-hydrated. He used her cloak as a blanket and gently set her down on it. Malcho remembered he shielded her from the sun with his good wing, and when he soaked his sprain, he would caress her face with water when the pain was gone…and all day he watched her, gazing at her white wings, and making sure she was all right.

This confused Malcho at a point where he wanted to bash his head into the tree. He didn't want to dwell on it anymore; otherwise he was going to get a headache…

"I know," Alisha brought Malcho out of his thoughts. "But I…I didn't want to be seen because of my…you know." Alisha lifted her wings in front of her.

"Ah, si, I see." — It hit him, then — "Wait…Alisha, couldn't you have just…_flown _away from danger?" He asked, raising a high brow at her.

He saw her face brighten with color. "Well, I would have — if I…um…" her face turned brighter, and she turned away from Malcho. She cleared her throat. "If I — I…" Alisha mumbled something.

Malcho couldn't make it out, "Que?"

"If I could…" She did it again.

"Que? I didn't catch that, amiga. Once more?"

"I said: I would have if I could…fly…" Alisha's voice became tiny and meek, as her color deepened.

Malcho blinked at Alisha, dumbfounded. "You mean you can't…?"

With her head low, Alisha nodded.

"You never…?"

She shook her head.

"But aren't you a…?"

She looked at him, "A harpy? Yes."

Malcho had heard of harpies, mostly in tales. In Spanish, they were called: arpía. They were scavengers that stole food from humans, and attacked them; leaving behind a fowl stench no one could bear.

Malcho always imagined a harpy to be ugly and grotesque. To have the unshapely body of a bird with a human's head, and sharp, bloody fangs that truly brought out the beasts he believed they were.

Yet Alisha…

Alisha…she wasn't what he expected a harpy to look like at all. Aside her white wings and bird's feet, she looked so human. No wonder he thought she was one when he first saw her. And…honestly, she wasn't ugly at all. Alisha seemed more abnormally skinny, but she was…Malcho didn't want to admit it. He knew she was.

"Then why can't you fly?" He asked.

Alisha fell silent as she stared up at Malcho, her jaw tight. A part of her wanted to tell him, but another screamed: Don't trust him! She wasn't sure which one to listen to.

"Alisha," Malcho said her name — in a way that no one had ever said it before. It made her heart give a quick and deep beat. "You can trust me. I saved your life, yes?"

"…Yes. Yes you did." She said after a moment.

She decided which part to listen to.

"The reason I can't fly is because my mother never taught me. But you see she wasn't exactly my mother. She was human." Alisha smiled. "She was the kindest human I've ever met. She found me when I was very young.

"I have no memories of my parents — the ones who look like me. I don't know if they're still alive, or if they didn't want me, but it doesn't matter to me, because my mother was all I needed. She found me unconscious in the middle of her town one night; I don't remember where I was going or why, I was just…there. She brought me into her house, and took me in. Mother raised me as if I was her own; not caring at all that I wasn't human. And she loved me so much, no matter how different I was."

Malcho listened in absolute silence, slowly, her smile fell. "But Mother was poor. She struggled almost every day to make enough for the both of us, but…it was just never enough. So I would sneak out of our city and hunt and gather food, so she and I could eat a decent meal. I never complained, because I was helping Mother, and as long as I could help her, I was happy."

Malcho watched her smile rise again, and it fell as quickly as it came.

"For years I helped her — in whatever way I could. Then…one day, _he _came. His name was Zadesh, he came to our city and claimed he invented a 'Magic Elixir' that could heal anything — the sick and the injured. Mother fell sick that same month, you see. She would get high fevers and chills, and other times she would cough up blood. I had no idea what to do, so I went to see Zadesh in private and begged him for a bottle of his elixir. But he wanted something in return for it, since I had no gold for him."

Alisha bit her lip, grieving at the recollection. "I revealed myself to him."

Malcho's eyes widened at her.

"Zadesh was shocked at first, but it quickly passed when he gave me an offer he knew I couldn't refuse: He would give my mother the elixir if I went with him for a minimum of two years, becoming an extra in his show. He said he would even send her gold every month to pay for everything she needed. How could I refuse? When I told Mother, she was in tears, and she begged me not to go. I told her it was for the best, and that it would only be two years, that I would be back before she knew it.

"It took Mother a while, but she let me go, and I left with Zadesh a couple days later. He kept his word, and gave Mother the elixir." Alisha stopped, biting her lip again. She had to turn away from Malcho. She felt the tears burn in the back of her eyes, but still went on. "If I had known then what I do now, I wouldn't have left with him that day."

Her body began shaking, and she buried her head in her wings. She remembered everything Zadesh did to her, and said to her. How he kept her in that cold, cramped cage. Feeding her only scraps…she would give anything to forget.

As Malcho watched her, something took over him suddenly…he reached out to Alisha with his wing. He wanted to hold her to him —

_Qué?_

Immediately, Malcho drew his wing back as soon as the thought crossed his mind. He wanted to _what_? He — Malcho the Great — wanted to hold, _touch_, an arpía he barely knew like that. As if he cared…?

Alisha lifted her head back up. Malcho cleared his throat, adjusting his wing to make it look like he never lifted it at all.

"I'm sorry," She strangely apologized, wiping away a tear that trickled down her cheek.

"Please, do not be." He put on his gentleness again, soothingly comforting her.

"I'm just not use to talking about this with anyone, especially about Zadesh."

"Sometimes the hardest things are the heaviest to get off the chest, mi amiga." He told her. "If it's too painful still, then do not talk about it. Don't force yourself through it."

Malcho could see Alisha was tormented by some sort of demon, and, so he gathered, that demon's name was Zadesh. The way her face changed when his name passed through her lips was a look he had seen many times to recognize it. This man had hurt her, he assumed. How? He didn't know.

…Yet, a question weighed on his mind.

"Why did you take the offer?"

Alisha looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"If your mother was so sick, why leave her to be with a man who only wanted to use you for two years? Why did you not stay with her?"

Alisha's eyes had tranquility in them, and then she closed them for a moment, knowingly. She had asked herself that question thousands of times every moment when she was with Zadesh. It was on her mind from morning until night. Alisha would carefully consider the question as she sat in her cage in the darkness. And the answer came to her, just like that.

"Why, you ask?" Slowly, Alisha opened her eyes to the snake and smiled a warm smile. "I did it because I loved her."

Malcho inwardly drew back at the word.

Love…the very thing made Malcho sick. He would have scoffed, but he knew it would have upset Alisha.

"I know it doesn't make much sense, but…" Alisha paused, carefully choosing each word. "What would you do for someone that you love?" She asked, meeting Malcho's golden, glowing eyes.

Again, silence fell over him. He became hesitant. Love…he could never understand it, nor did he want to. Love, to him, was a tiny, sizzle of an emotion. It was so puny, and so insignificant. He would never feel such a thing. Something such as love was beneath him. Power and revenge was all he desired, and nothing more. He was certain.

Alisha covered her mouth and yawned.

"Tired, Alisha?"

"Only a little," she answered. "You would think I would be wide awake considering I was unconscious for so long."

"You've had a long day." He said. "Rest. It is what you need."

Alisha gave him another smile, and with one last yawn, lay down on her cloak. She wrapped her wings around her body, and sleep slowly took her.

Malcho watched her for a short while. He gazed at the peace and serenity on the harpy's face, finding himself unable to turn away from her.

_A harpy that can't fly… _Malcho, in his current situation, knew the feeling. But to _not _to be able to fly…he began to feel pity for the arpía. Flying should be second nature to those blessed with the gift. It was such a shame Alisha may never know the feeling.

Yet what seemed to bother Malcho the most was that it didn't even seem to bother Alisha. True, she was shy to admit it, but as she explained why, he saw she didn't complain.

It perplexed him.

"_As long as I could help her, I was happy."_

Malcho finally turned away from her and out into the dark, sandy distance. He tried to bring himself to understand, but it was no use.


	4. Chapter 4: Haunting Nightmares

******Disclaimer: I do not own ANY original Aladdin characters in this story, nor do I own the settings involved with them. They all belong to their rightful owners. I only own Alisha, Zadesh, Sabin, and Brone.**

Enjoy. R&R

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Haunting Nightmares

The bright sun beamed down on Alisha. She slowly opened her eyes; gradually, they adjusted to the lighting on the morning. After two or three blinks, her vision finally cleared.

In a heartbeat, she pushed herself upright in a rush, startled by the giant, winged snake before her, sleeping only a few feet away from her. Alisha had forgotten how big Malcho was — especially now that she was so close to him. Last night, there had been some distance between them, but now, all she would have to do is reach a wing out and she would be touching the side of his coils.

_No wonder those men were so afraid of him, _Alisha thought. Yet she couldn't help but smile at the sleeping snake.

With a yawn, she stretched out her wings. She stood up and walked over to the pool, scooping some water and splashing it on her face, and then scooping some again for a fresh drink.

A sweet desert breeze passed through her, softly. Very calmly, Alisha took it in through her nostrils and out through her mouth. It pushed her long brown hair back a little, making her ends dance in the air. She soaked it all in, until her hair rested against her back. Alisha took in the sun and the atmosphere. She shut her eyes and embraced all that she could.

Her right wing ascended into the air, she waited, but nothing stopped it.

Curious, Alisha opened her eyes, wondering why she couldn't feel them. Her white wing was to the blue morning sky, as if she was trying to grasp it, but she was expecting to grasp them — the cold, metal bars. They never let her wings go out any further than this. They always stopped her. Always…

Alisha pulled her wing back down to her side and looked up to the fresh sky. Those bars wouldn't be able to stop her anymore. And she was determined to never let it happen, otherwise, she would never feel the wind's gentle, soothing breath ever again.

Not ever again…

The harpy turned back around to watch Malcho, lost somewhere in his sleep. His head rested on the very top of his purple coils, his coal-black hair falling around his face.

How much longer can I stay with him? Alisha wondered. She didn't want to stay in one place too long, in case if…. Alisha no longer had a reason to stay with him, anyway. Malcho saved her, he looked after her, and made sure she didn't die of de-hydration. Why should she stay?

Alisha let out a heavy breath as she walked back over to her cloak and picked it up off the ground. She brushed away dirt and whatever else was on it, and then wrapped it into a bundle of cloth, holding it against her chest.

She had to get home. She had to. He would never find her there. This was another reason why Alisha couldn't stay with Malcho any longer. She had no time to waste, or else she would…she didn't want to think about it.

Alisha began walking in the opposite direction of the serpent and the oasis. She stopped, suddenly, and turned back around to Malcho, still fast asleep.

"Goodbye, Malcho." Alisha said, even though he couldn't hear her. But she couldn't leave without saying everything she had to say. "It was nice meeting you. It was really nice…thank you for saving my life. I'm sorry if I troubled you…and, most of all, thank you for listening last night." Slowly, a smile spread itself across her face.

It was the first time she had ever spoken of her past. She always thought no one would care to listen, until now, anyway. Telling Malcho, to Alisha, it felt easy for her. As if she could tell him anything.

"You have no idea how much that meant to me…" Alisha paused, swallowing a thick lump in her throat. Her smile fell at the same time. "I doubt we'll see each other again. But, from the bottom of my heart, I really wish I could stay. If only…."

Alisha turned again, starting for the desert beyond.

Malcho laid there, unsure how to react.

He woke after hearing Alisha's footsteps, and he watched her closely, shutting his eyes only when she looked at him. He had heard everything she said, and it sounded as though she truly meant every word.

Malcho was surprised that after only a short time, Alisha wanted to stay with him…and she wanted to stay willingly. She knew nothing of him, and still, as she said, she enjoyed his company.

This arpía confused Malcho, and yet, he didn't want her to go.

He lifted his head from his coils. "Alisha." He called to her before he could stop himself.

Alisha stopped, and turned around to the snake, confused and surprised at the same time, "Malcho? You're awake?" The color brightened in her cheeks. Had he heard her?

"Ah, si…" Now what should he do? Malcho had no idea. "…You do not have to go, mi amiga."

Alisha blinked at him. He did hear her! The harpy's face shined brighter, but not only at the fact that Malcho heard her, but also because of what he said. It sounded like he really didn't want her to go…

Alisha shook her head, pushing the temptation out of her mind. "No, I can't." She told him quickly. "I have to go back home. I can't stay here any longer."

Malcho looked at her for a silent second. "Where is your home, mi amiga?" He remembered he hadn't asked her.

"Agrabah," Alisha answered.

The serpent's bright eyes widened at her. "Agrabah…?" The city's name rolled off his thin tongue as a light hiss. His eyes darkened.

_So this little lost arpía is from Agrabah…_ Malcho smiled to himself. Now he had a reason to make her stay.

"What a coincidence," Malcho said to her, his smile never falling, "_I _am on my way there, as well."

Alisha's eyes brightened a little. "You are?"

"Si, I…have some business to attend there."

"What kind of business?" Alisha asked him, suspiciously.

Malcho's smile dropped into a line at the question. He had to answer without giving away his intentions. "Very private business, amiga." The less she knew the better.

Alisha looked at him, studying Malcho as keenly as she could. The way he changed alarmed her greatly. Deep down, she didn't want to be suspicious of him, yet she couldn't shake the feeling.

Then again, maybe she was just being paranoid. Why should she be doubtful of Malcho? He saved her. If he can't tell her, he has his reason. Alisha could trust Malcho.

"I would be there now if it weren't for my sprain, you see," He nodded to his right wing, "and it is not safe to fly with an injured wing, yes? As soon as it healed, I was going to be on my way. But…" Malcho eyed Alisha, his charming smile returning. "Maybe we could go together?"

Alisha slowly moved her gaze to the side, considering his offer.

"Walking to Agrabah would take days, amiga." Malcho coaxed. "I could fly you there within hours. And there are also dangerous beasts out in the desert; they would love to have a little arpía as you for their dinner. I could keep you safe."

Alisha's eyes returned to the Quetzalcoatl, watching him in silence. That last part grabbed her attention. She recalled her first night alone in the desert and remembered all the noises she heard. She wasn't sure _what_ beast made those howls, but she could live the rest of her life not knowing. And judging by the sound of those howls, it must have been big… Malcho could keep her safe. Alisha might actually be able to sleep without worrying something was going to maul her the moment she closed her eyes. And also, it would be nice to travel with someone. At least she wouldn't be alone.

Alisha smiled and gave a sure nod. "All right, we'll go together."

"Muy bien," Malcho said. "We shall leave as soon as I can fly." Not a moment after that sentence came out of his mouth his sprain began to act up. Malcho winced, _damn…_

"Is something wrong?" Alisha asked him, seeing the change on his face.

"My sprain," he answered. Malcho uncoiled himself and slithered over to the pool, gently, he placed his wing in the cool water. He saw Alisha kneel down beside him, watching.

"What a pain. Literally…"

"How did you sprain it?"

The Quetzalcoatl blinked at the question. Quickly he thought of something. "Uh, accident, like I said. I got into a flying accident."

"Oh, I see." Alisha said, thinking that he must have crashed into something.

After a few minutes, the soreness in Malcho's wing eased. He sighed, "Ah, thank goodness."

Alisha gazed at his wing and she found herself unable to turn away. She turned to the serpent with a tiny smile, "Malcho,"

He glanced at the arpía, "Si?"

Malcho watched as Alisha lifted her wing up to him, it looked like a hand sort of. He looked from it to her, question in his expression.

"I've never met someone else with wings before," she told him. "I just want to know what another feels like just for a second, if it's alright with you?"

He blinked at her again, even giving a nervous gulp. Alisha wasn't awkward about the sudden question at all either, once again catching the Quetzalcoatl's interest with her boldness. Malcho quickly glanced to his good wing, _oh Caramba,_ he thought. He knew this wouldn't go well…the moment she would touch his wing, he knew she probably would never want to again. Just like everyone else who felt it.

Might as well get it over with, he figured. With a deep, quiet exhale, Malcho lifted his wing from his side and held it only an inch from Alisha's.

The harpy didn't hesitate, yet she was still gradual, as their wings touched. Malcho's was much bigger than hers if you were to compare them. He could have crushed it in his grasp like a chunk of dirt; it would have been that easy. Alisha's touch was only a heartbeat or two as she suddenly pulled back with a quick gasp. She stared at it. "Oh my…"

Something didn't feel right when she touched his. The texture was odd — she felt no feathers, but something much different, something rough. Something she never felt before. But it wasn't just that which startled Alisha. The moment their wings pressed against each other, a sudden jolt flowed through her, like the current of a river. The jolt didn't hurt at all; it was more of a surprise, like the texture.

Malcho watched the expression on her face, not surprised by her reaction at all. He expected it. He always got that reaction whenever someone touched his wing. They always pulled back in a blink like that, as if his scales would bite them if they didn't move fast enough. After a while he got use to it and could easily ignore it.

"You were expecting feathers, yes?" He asked the surprised harpy.

Alisha nodded slowly, looking from her wing to his then back again. "Yes I was…" Her reaction manifested in her voice.

Malcho couldn't help but chuckle, which made Alisha look at him. His bright eyes fell on his wing. "That is what they all expect." He sounded like he was in a deep thought as he said that, like he was reminiscing a memory from long ago. This caught Alisha's attention.

What they all expect? Alisha's surprise faded, and she looked at the great snake. His face reminded her of when she was still in that cage, everyone pointing at her with wide, shocked eyes. The way they would make her feel about herself…

Malcho looked back at her, his eyes solemn with memory. "You must be disgusted." He was about to curl his wing back to his side, until suddenly Alisha stopped him.

"No!" Alisha said, grabbing his wing with both of hers to stop him from moving it away. Now Malcho was surprised. "No, I'm not." She said to him, meeting his eyes as she pulled it closer from his side.

He watched Alisha press the same wing to his again, she held the touch and didn't pull away. Malcho froze at the smile she gave him, his golden eyes widening at the harpy. "See? I'm not disgusted at all." She assured. She didn't shy or shudder away from his wing, like others had done. Her wing was almost embracing into his, holding for much longer than he supposed.

Malcho's gaze fell upon their touching wings, and something tinged in his chest, like a bell. He stared at their wings, his chest thumping up and down, the color rushing to the scales beneath his face. What was wrong with him? Was he ill? Something had to be wrong. He never felt anything as this before. He gave another gulp, but it was deeper and thicker than before.

"To be honest, Malcho," Alisha said, grabbing his attention, "I think your scales are lovely."

_Caramba!_ His mind bellowed. The heat boiled in Malcho's face; he was surprised he wasn't steaming. He shook it off, and he cleared his throat, "Ah, gracias, Alisha."

* * *

Night fell as quickly as morning came.

Malcho slept soundly in his coils, while Alisha stirred.

She shifted positions on her cloak, mumbling in her sleep, "No…! No…!"

_Alisha._

Her eyes snapped open as his voice slithered in her ear. She shot up from her cloak, searching for him.

_Clang! _Alisha's blood froze. Slowly she turned and saw them… With a shaky wing, she reached out and grasped the bars. Their cold metal sent chills through her wing and down her back. Her eyes widened in horror. No…

A bright light struck Alisha; she shielded her eyes from it with her wings.

"Ladies and gentleman," Alisha heard his voice again, and she squinted her eyes to see that he had his back to her, his black, sleeveless cloak dangling around his legs as he walked in front of the darkness. "I present…The Winged She-Beast!"

Alisha shuddered, her heart drumming in her chest.

All around her, their voices echoed.

"_Look at her!"_

"_She's hideous!"_

"_How puny, am I right?"_

"_Look at those feet! Are those even feet?"_

"_Get a load of those wings — I wonder how much gold you can make with them…"_

"_She's filthy! And her hair is a mess!"_

"_She _is _a mess!"_

"_She's a monster."_

Alisha's terrified eyes flashed at every corner, following one voice after another. She could hear laughter, while different colored pairs of eyes glared at her with repulsion. All of them cornered her into her cage, which felt smaller than before.

"No…!" She whispered, gazing at everything around her. The laughter and the eyes circled around the cage, taunting her again and again. She turned away from them, cradling herself and whispering, "Make it stop…make it stop!"

Alisha's heart thickened and pulsed with fear as his laugh overpowered all the others. And as she turned — her eyes met his. His eyes were dark, nearly a black. These eyes reminded Alisha of death. She backed away until her back collided into the bars of her cage. She tried to look away, but she was far too scared.

Zadesh smiled at her through the cage, leaning down on his black cane with a buzzard's skull. He gave a laugh at her horror, and he moved closer to the cage, gripping a bar with his black-gloved hand. His face was like that of a demon's.

"_You can _never _escape me, Alisha."_ He said.

Panicking, she tried to move farther away, but suddenly a grip took her in its grasp, clasping itself around her face. She looked into the black, soulless eyes of Zadesh, forcing her to look at him. Alisha was too petrified to try to pull away.

"_No matter where you go, how far you run, or how long you hide—I will find you. And this cage will be here waiting for you."_

Tears rolled down her face; her body beginning to quake. "M-Malcho! Malcho!" Alisha cried out to him, but he never came. The only one who was here was Zadesh.

He moved his other hand behind his back, and what he pulled out was the one thing Alisha feared the most. It was long and as black as his eyes, and it unfurled as Zadesh took a hold of the handle. His smile broadened.

"_Let's give them a show, shall we?"_

With hot tears cascading down her cheeks, Alisha gave out a scream of pure and unmistakable horror in the midst of the madness.

Malcho jolted awake, startled by a piercing cry.

He searched for it and his golden eyes fell on Alisha. She laid on her back on her cloak, screaming as loud as her lungs could carry, "No! No! Please no!" She sounded as if someone or something was attacking her.

Malcho stared at the terrified harpy, shocked by what he was watching. She seemed scared beyond her wits. Her body stiffened at the imaginary pain, thrashing, as if she was trying to push away something. Her cries grew louder, "No! Stop! Please! NO!"

He couldn't watch anymore. Malcho stood over Alisha, trying to wake her up. "Alisha, Alisha! Wake up, amiga."

She screamed more and more, begging, _pleading,_ for the unseen force to leave her alone.

In a heartbeat he leaned down and placed his uninjured wing against her face, his tail grabbing one of her wings in a light grip. "Alisha, wake up! Open your eyes, mi amiga, look at me." He gave her wing a shake with his tail.

With a gasp, Alisha's eyes shot wide open. Her wing gripped tightly around his tail, giving another gasp. She heaved in and out winded breaths, her heart beating ferociously against her chest. She looked around; Zadesh, the eyes, the cage, everything was gone. All she could see now were Malcho's bright eyes.

"Malcho…?" Alisha breathed, staring at him.

"Si," he nodded. "Are you all right, mi amiga? You —" His voice froze in his throat.

In a heartbeat, Alisha wrapped her white wings around his neck. Her face buried in his hair. He could feel her body tremble, like a leaf caught in the breeze.

His body was stiff as a board, his eyes large.

"Malcho," Alisha cried, tears spilling down her face. "Thank goodness, thank goodness. I was afraid you weren't really…_real._" He was here now. That was all that mattered to Alisha, and most of all, he was real. Not another mirage of her nightmare. _He was real._

_Get her off of you. _Malcho's first instinct ordered. But Malcho…couldn't. He was too startled at Alisha. Was she really holding him crying? She couldn't possibly be looking to him — Malcho the Great — for _comfort?_

…Could she?

"A—" He cleared his throat to hide his surprise. "Alisha?"

"I'm sorry." Alisha apologized before he could speak again. She whispered into his hair, holding him tighter. "I know this might be odd for you, but, please…can we just stay like this for a few minutes? _Please?_"

Malcho blinked. What should he do? He had never been in a situation as this before. _Get her off of you._ His first instinct ordered again. Malcho lifted his left wing towards Alisha, but…as he did…he wrapped it around her body and held her to him, even as he straightened his body out he held her, lifting the harpy off the ground and on to his wing.

Alisha shifted, and now embraced his chest. Malcho looked down to her, watching her tears fall like salty drops of rain. His gaze on her slowly softened as he watched her longer.

_What kind of torment has this pour arpía endured? _He wondered.

"Malcho," he heard Alisha's voice.

"Que?"

"I want to tell you. I want to tell you about Zadesh, I mean. I think I'm ready."

He nodded, even though she didn't see, "Si, mi amiga. I am listening."

She clenched her wing into a fist; the thought of remembering gave her goosebumps. But she wanted Malcho to know. Alisha mustered up all the confidence she could gather, and began with a shaky exhale.

"At first, I thought it would be nice to travel with Zadesh. I liked the idea of seeing new places, new things, and new people. I wanted to see more than just Agrabah…but none of it was what I expected." Alisha had to stop to swallow a thick lump lodged in her throat. Tears, once again, welled up in her green eyes, and as she continued to speak, she sounded like she was straining to go on. "…Zadesh was cruel to me! He locked me in a cage and paraded me around as his freak show! He named me 'The Winged She-Beast' and treated me like I was some kind of animal, and every time he showed me to his customers, he would tell me I was a dangerous monster — that I killed men, women, and children!"

Alisha was sobbing and yelling at the same time, pressing her head against the serpent's chest, who was stunned by what he was hearing.

"They were all afraid of me. They would point and gasp at me because I was so strange to them. Some people would even laugh because they thought I was a freak. And Zadesh…Zadesh always stood by and let them! He _never _stopped them — never! He would simply watch with a smile on his face!"

She had to stop again, catching her breath. "…I took the first chance I had and ran away." Alisha sniffed. She remembered when Sabin opened the gate of her cage to put her food bowl in there—she grabbed it and hit him over the head before he blinked. Brone was just as easy. He charged at her, but Alisha smashed the bowl in his face. Both men were unconscious. And she ran before Zadesh, who was resting in his tent, came outside.

"I know he's looking for me. I can feel it." Alisha mumbled. "I'm Zadesh's property. And he never let's go of his property."

Malcho was silent, uncertain what to say to comfort her. No one had ever looked to him for consolation before, nor had he ever tried to. Yet, to his surprise, he actually felt sorry for this poor arpía, while at the same time feeling a twinge of anger at this Zadesh. It was one of the things he despised about humans: the way they think they can treat every rare creature like a wild animal that must be caged.

_It is like…what I went through…_

Alisha spoke again, breaking him from his thoughts. "You can't imagine the kind of things that man put me through. I wouldn't wish it on anyone." He felt her cling closer to his scaly chest. "I wish I knew how to make the nightmares stop."

Zadesh would be there, waiting in the deepest and darkest part of Alisha's dreams. He would remind her of her torment, smiling that cruel-loving smile while watching in joy. She feared sleeping because of those dark dreams. They were memories that would forever be a scar on her heart.

"…Forgive me." Malcho said after a short moment of holding the arpía in silence. Alisha looked up at him, curious at his sudden apology. "I am not sure what to do in a situation like this. I don't know what to say, or…what to feel." The serpent explained. In his mind he tried to find the words, but he drew a blank.

She blinked at him, sort of touched by this. And she smiled, resting her head against his chest once again. "It's all right, Malcho." Alisha told him softly. "You don't have to say or feel anything. The fact that you're listening is enough." She closed her eyes; through his chest, she could hear every deep beat of his heart. It sounded as smooth as thunder. "Thank you."

Slowly, she drifted to sleep while humming a nostalgic tune to herself. It ended as she finally fell asleep.

Malcho set her down gently, as if Alisha was made of delicate glass. As he slipped back into his coils, he watched her until his eyes couldn't stay open anymore. Even after they closed, he listened to make sure she didn't stir. Gradually, sleep took over Malcho as well.

Yet the harpy's story never left his mind.

To think a little arpía as Alisha was put through such an ordeal by a human she did nothing to. She was ridiculed, and hurt by him, all because she wanted to save her sick mother…

She should have thought of herself. Then she wouldn't have had to go through so much pain. It was crude, Malcho knew, but it was the cold truth. He learned it many years ago growing up in his rain forest. He remembered if you desired to live — you must kill. You must be strong in order to crush the weak. You must fight if you want to survive.

For many years, Malcho lived by these philosophies, and he still does. They were what made him strong. Why he desired the power that Thundra possessed so much. He knew he was more powerful than any creature, large or small. Yes, he may have been a tad malicious, but he survived.

That was all that mattered.

* * *

As dawn's bright light ascended upon the world, sending the night's shadows away, it caressed a slumbering Quetzalcoatl and harpy.

Both Alisha and Malcho woke up lazily, yawning and stretching the sleep away. They greeted each other good morning, Alisha smiling kindly at Malcho; he returned it with a quick one. His sprain felt sore again and he soaked it in the pool, while Alisha sat by him, getting a drink and washing her face. Her eyes were still a little red and puffy after her crying. She hoped the water would make them go away.

Neither one of the two mentioned the night, in fact. Alisha was too shy, and Malcho was too confused. She wanted to thank him, but she didn't want to bring it up, because she knew she would remember her nightmare, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Malcho was still surprised at himself; he actually comforted someone, and someone wanted him for comfort. Normally Malcho would scare someone so badly, they would be too terrified to look in his direction, let alone want his touch. But Alisha acted the very opposite….

They felt the rumble in their stomachs and new it was time to eat.

Alisha took out a large, wrapped up cloth from a deep pocket of her cloak. She undid the tie and examined the food the kind old woman gave her: two apples, two pears, an orange, a banana, and half a loaf of bread. All were perfectly fresh.

"I have an apple here, if you want it?" Alisha lifted the red fruit up to Malcho. He examined it for a moment. "You can't hunt with your sprain, can you?" She asked.

He glanced to his wing, and then graciously took the apple. He had never been a fan of fruit, but since Alisha offered, and he knew he couldn't hunt with his wing injured, he had no other option. He looked at her with a smile, "Gracias, mi amiga."

She smiled back, "You're welcome." Then she took a bite of her pear.

Malcho eyes the apple, inwardly he shrugged. You would think living in a rain forest, he would love fruit, but the taste never satisfied him. He was a carnivore, he ate meat. But, then again, he didn't want to hurt Alisha's feelings either, oddly.

_Oh well. _He thought. He would just have to deal with it.

Malcho lifted the apple to his jaws, ready for the taste to spill over his tongue.

_Swoop!_

An unexpected, orange blur, dashed across the serpent's view. In a blink it was gone. Startled, Malcho jolted, a quick gasp escaping him. It felt like something had just brushed against his snout, like a gust of wind. A leaf from the tree, maybe? Suddenly, then, Malcho noticed something….

Malcho blinked at the empty space in his wing. "What the…?" His apple! It was gone!

"What's wrong, Malcho?" Alisha asked him, swallowing a piece of her half-eaten pear.

"Did you see that?" Malcho asked her.

"See what?"

"My apple, it just suddenly vanished."

"Vanished?" She echoed, raising a brow at him.

"Si!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, Alisha." Malcho knew he saw something, and whatever it was, it stole his food. _A decision the thief will regret! _He threatened.

She gave him a skeptical look. "I don't know, Malcho. I think you're just seeing —" Alisha's gaze fell beyond Malcho, abruptly, and fell on something else — "things…"

Her voice trailed off as she watched longer. The apple…was moving away…in the opposite direction. Like it was…walking?

Alisha stared at the odd sight. "And I think I might be, too."

Now Malcho raised his brow, "Que?"

The harpy lifted her wing, pointing to something behind the mighty winged serpent. Malcho turned and saw the apple, and just like Alisha, he was dumbfounded. His jaw dropped.

"Wow. This desert makes you see really strange things, doesn't it?" Alisha wondered if she was going to see her banana start singing and dancing to a musical number after this.

"No, that can't be."

Malcho slithered over to the fruit; he wanted to see if it really was just a desert mirage.

The moment his giant shadow fell over it, the fruit froze in its tracks. He knew it! Malcho grabbed it with his tail, unaware of what was with it…

Its tiny claws dug deep into the bottom of the apple, meeting Malcho's bright colored eyes. He stared and studied the creature.

Its eyes were wide and bright yellow as it stared blankly at him. In fact, the creatures face resembled a mouse, with whiskers and a dark pink nose. Its fur was orange and short, while the creature's tiny, mouse-like paws held on tightly to the apple. Its long orange tail, with fluffy yellow hair at the end of it, hung low. And the creature's wide, large ears were also orange and curled at their tips, like two tiny orange loops.

Never had Malcho seen something as odd as this before, and he had seen his share of odd. But this? He wasn't sure what to make of it.

The thief smiled a very apprehensive smile at the giant snake. Starting to think it should have thought through with its plan better. This creature was barely Malcho's size. He could crush it in the very palm of his wing without any effort.

Malcho could only glare at it, and with a flick of his tail, the orange beast toppled to the ground, landing on the very top of its head.

"I hate it when something of mine is stolen by insignificant weaklings." He grumbled to himself with his apple. If anything irritated him the most, it was being robbed, especially when it was something that belonged to him and him alone.

"Grrrr…!"

Malcho stopped, and looked back at the creature. It stood its ground and barred its tiny fangs at him, growling, with its orange hair high in the air.

"You dare to challenge Malcho the Great you little wimp?"

The creature snarled, its glare deepening.

Malcho glared right back. "Fine, if that is what you wish."

"Um, Malcho," Alisha said behind him, worried about the situation between the serpent and the orange beast, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"The little thief is asking for it, Alisha." He told her, staring it down. "And it challenged me first. So if it wants a fight, it has got one."

Alisha exhaled a breath through her nose, seeing that Malcho wasn't going to listen. _I have a bad feeling about this. _Alisha thought. _Oh well._

Malcho set the apple by her with his tail, making sure it wouldn't be taken again.

Alisha asked, "You're not going to hurt it, are you?"

"Of course not," Malcho replied, turning and looking at the arpía, "I was thinking more of a serious maim. Nothing more." The grin he gave her was malicious.

_Unless that maim becomes an 'accidental' fatality. _Malcho hummed a dark laugh to himself at the thought.

He turned back to the beast, that grin plastered on his scaly face, but it didn't last longer than a second. With one bound, the beast was high in the air and it dove down at Malcho, like a bird of prey going in for the kill. Its sharp, jagged fangs dug into his snout, biting into his scales. Malcho let out a yelp, and tried to grab the creature with his good wing, but it was too fast for him. The orange thief dashed and attacked his whole head. It bit and clawed every inch of Malcho's face in swift, lightening fast scurries.

The serpent's yelp turned into painful cries. He fell backwards, giving another cry as he landed on his sprain. He rolled over on his back, trying to grab his little attacker. It evaded him and continued its attack. Malcho felt as if there were thousands of bees stinging his face with their sharp stingers.

Suddenly, then, to both to Malcho and Alisha's surprise, he called out to her, "Ow! Alisha! Ow! Help, help — get it off, get it off!"

She jumped from where she sat and ran to his aid. The harpy grabbed the vicious mouse-like creature, at first it refused to let him go, but with a quick tug, she pried it off of him before it could attack again. Alisha fell backwards on her rump and held it back with her wings wrapped around its tiny body. It snarled and growled to be released.

Malcho cringed, "aye Caramba." He checked to make sure he wasn't bleeding anywhere. Thankfully, he was fine (except for the ache in his wing…) He hissed darkly, shooting a glare at the _naranja Diablo. _It struggled in Alisha's grip, glowering at him and flashing its fangs.

He was only half a heartbeat away from ripping it away from her and tearing its head off, when Alisha spoke up.

She grabbed the beast by the gruff of its neck and made it face her. "That's enough." She said, sternly. The creature's ferociousness melted away in a blink, and it watched her with low ears and soft eyes. "You shouldn't steal things that don't belong to you. It's wrong."

Malcho blinked incredulously at Alisha. She almost sounded like a mother reprimanding her child. He watched as her face softened as she saw the remorse in its large yellow eyes. She reached behind her and grabbed the apple, and then handed it to the orange creature, gently setting it back down on the ground.

"I'm sure you were just hungry. Now I am _giving _you the apple, understand?"

It looked from the fruit to her and it smiled, even rubbing its head against her wing as she stroked it. Then it took off in the distance with its meal.

Alisha stood back up and brushed off any dirt off her baggy pants. "Are you all right?" She asked, walking over to him.

"Aside from the throbbing in my wing, si, I am fine." Malcho grumbled. He paused for a moment. "I do not understand," he said, looking at the harpy. "Why just scold the beast then give it the apple?"

Malcho always believed theft deserved a serious punishment. Something much different than from what Alisha just did, that he knew for sure. Once again he was puzzled by her. She left his mind filled with questions of 'why'. He had never met such a confusing creature like her before.

Alisha's mouth shrank at the question, pondering it on her mind for a moment or two. She answered, "Because I know what it's like to be hungry like that." Her green eyes fell upon the sand-stricken distance. "There were times where I was so hungry, I was tempted to steal. But Mother said even if I stole all the food in Agrabah, it wouldn't be worth it. She said there were other ways to survive, they might be hard, but they were much better than stealing."

At her side, Malcho watched the harpy, studying the expression on her face. Alisha seemed as if she were in a blissful trance of serenity. Even though, he caught on, that talking about her mother always made her a little sad. He watched the wind sweep itself past her brown hair, just like when he caught her standing by the pool. Malcho remembered how Alisha had embraced it, like it was the first time she had ever felt the wind. Then when she had lifted her wing, she seemed as though she was reaching out to grab something. She pulled it back and gazed at it, a new emotion on her face.

To Malcho, she seemed so graceful. In a way he had never seen before. Even now, with her eyes to the distance and her bangs brushed back by the breeze. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He wondered, how could anyone — human or not — ever harm someone so lovely as Alisha? This arpía's life sounded so tragic, she had no memory of her real parents, her adoptive mother was poor and fell ill, a human was cruel to her, and now she is scarred with dark memories of that cruel human. And yet…Alisha was so kind, and pure of heart.

It astounded him that she was. She wasn't bitter or spiteful, as that life would have made her.

While entranced, the blood came to his face. It warmed his scales, darkening his color. In a snap, Malcho realized what was happening. Quickly he turned his head to the side and covered his face with his good wing. _Drat, this is becoming a habit for me. _The snake thought.

He heard the ring of her giggles. He peered down at Alisha, one of his brows raised in odd suspicion, "Something funny?"

"It's just," she said between giggles, "it was kind of funny watching someone as big and strong as you easily overpowered by a tiny little thing like that creature."

Malcho's blush brightened with embarrassment. "At least _one _of us found it humorous." He grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Alisha apologized, trying to hold back more giggles. "I'm sorry. I know it shouldn't be, but it was just too funny." And she laughed, unable to contain it any longer.

Malcho listened to the hymn of Alisha's laugh, and, to his surprise, he snickered a chuckle. "Maybe it was a _little _amusing." He admitted, putting his wing down. And now that he thought about it, it really was. Sort of. At a point. It only reminded him of his humiliation of being out-smarted by something half his size, and not just once but twice (thrice to add to his misery.)

Once again his pride was injured at the fact that a little orange whelp got the better of him…and here he was laughing about it with Alisha. It made Malcho wonder. When was the last time Malcho ever laughed — ever chuckled — with any sort of joy? He thought back, but he couldn't recall a moment. Not a one.

The Quetzalcoatl and the harpy's laughter died down after a few moments. She sat down by his side, catching her breath after all her laughing and wiping a tear away from her eye. "All laughing aside, are you sure you're not hurt? Did the little guy get you anywhere?"

"Do not worry. I am all right. The beast didn't even draw blood." Malcho rubbed a sore spot where it chomped its fangs into his snout. "But Caramba, did it have a bite."

"I told you it wasn't a good idea." Alisha reminded him, matter-of-factly. "You shouldn't have taken that creature for granted."

_It would not have been the first time. _Malcho thought. He exhaled a sigh. "Si, I will remember that. The little orange wretch…"

"You know, you have to admit, the little guy was very brave."

"Brave?"

"I'm sure standing up to a big guy like you took a lot of courage. That's not something you see every day."

"Brave, or just very stupid," Malcho said flatly.

Alisha put a wing over her mouth and giggled in it, "or that, too." Then her eyes fell on the distance again and she smiled, "Still. I do hope the little guy will be okay out there."

Malcho hid his snort. _At least that makes _one _of us._

* * *

The night was a chill.

Alisha slept with her white wings curled around herself extra tightly, while Malcho felt a deeper bite of the cold…

He saw them all — his tormentors! Three giant ice mirrors caged him in at all corners, and in them were the gigantic reflections of Thundra, Iago, and Aladdin. The mirrors were stood taller than Malcho, even if he stretched high in the air, he didn't come close to the ice. They all looked like they traveled for miles. And every time he turned, he saw one of them, laughing and torturing him with his humiliation.

"Some magnificent ruler of the rain forest," Thundra laughed. The medallion dangled around her giant, green-feathered neck. "What is so terrifying about you? You cannot even control one spell. You have failed so many times it is hysterical!"

Malcho, glaring with sharp eyes at the rain bird, roared, "Shut up!"

"Oh, look at the big bad Malcho."

He didn't have to look to know who was mocking him now. Malcho heard his voice and knew, and as he spun around he saw Iago in the mirror behind him. His reflection was half the size of Thundra's.

"What are you gonna do, use some of those weather spells? Oh! That's right — you _can't!_" He pointed at the serpent, whose glare slowly started to waver. "You can't do a thing! And to think I was scared of a scaly chump like you."

He backed away from the parrot, apprehension beginning to take over. His heart drummed with fear, and his breathing became deep, like he was fighting for air.

"I think you should just face it, Malcho," he saw the reflection of Aladdin, wearing his sultan uniform. His arms were crossed over his chest and he gave him a side grin. "You're powerless."

That destroyed every ounce of bravery Malcho had in him. He began to tremble, his eyes jumping from Aladdin, to Thundra, and to Iago over and over again. "No…!" He said to himself, shaking his head side to side. He clenched his wing and clenched his fangs together, trying to stop shaking.

"I am not powerless! I —"

Malcho's voice lumped in his throat as he now looked into _his _reflection… He stared incredulously at himself. He read the fear in his own eyes, the eyes that stared wide right back at him. Malcho could see how weak he was. How utterly pathetic he was…! His breath was as shaky as he was. He wanted to turn away, but it was no use.

In a heartbeat, anger rose inside him. With his good wing, he punched his reflection. A tiny part of the ice cracked and shattered under the blow, just enough to splinter the reflection of his face. He laid his wing there, and now Malcho glared at himself with a black fire of wrath.

"I am NOT powerless!"

Suddenly, something warm caressed his back, and a bright light shined in the ice in front of him. Malcho had to look away so not to be blinded. "What is this?" He asked aloud. And he turned to see, and not a moment later, he gasped, "Alisha?"

The ice block that stood in front of him had disappeared, and now before Malcho laid a sea of ice, and at the very end of it was his arpía. Alisha. She stood at the very edge, smiling her kind and warm smile at his direction. Her wing was extended, as if she wanted him to grab it.

Behind her the sun was just starting to rise.

Alisha called to him, her voice a soft, welcoming echo, "Malcho."

The serpent didn't let a single heartbeat pass by. He unfurled his wing, but the pain of his sprain felt doubled, so he slithered across the cold ice. He was stunned to find that it held his weight perfectly; the ice made no crack nor made the sound of a crack. He slithered across it like his life depended on it, his eyes on only Alisha, ready to grab her wing.

In mere minutes he was close to her, so close he felt the warmth of the sun caressing his face. Malcho had never been so happy to see her, nor not so relieved. He reached out his scaly, black wing to take it in her star-white wing —

_CRASH!_

The ice caved in beneath Malcho, engulfing him with chilling, icy water. The pain struck him like a million daggers stabbing every inch of his body. And as he looked up, the light radiating from the surface, where Alisha was, began to fade.

"ALISHA!"

The harpy woke from a dead sleep, jumping awake, panic-struck. She looked with alarmed eyes and saw a thrashing snake. He was lying on his back, his eyes shut tight and calling out her name with all his voice.

"Alisha! It hurts — Alisha!"

Alisha called back to him, standing up on her feet. "Malcho, Malcho, wake up! Wake up!"

There was no response. He called out to her again, only this time, Alisha could hear that pain in his voice, like something was hurting him. Then he began to cry out in his native language. Spanish rolled off his tongue. Alisha couldn't make out a single word of it, but she knew they were pleas for help.

What could she do? One whip from his tail, and Alisha would be thrown to half way across the desert. He could seriously hurt her. Who knows what kind of damage he could do to her tiny, frail body.

In the midst of his Spanish, the arpía made out the one thing he had said over and over again: "Alisha!" Malcho cried, nearly screaming it this time.

Alisha gripped her wing. She had to help him.

With her heart hammering against her chest, Alisha ran to him. She didn't care if she got hurt; Malcho would be completely unaware, so there would be no fault. He was calling out to her, he needed her — just like when she called out Malcho's name when Alisha had her nightmare. Now it was her turn to help him.

She ran to his side, and, making sure it wasn't his sprained one, leaped and grabbed on to one of his wings that were in the air. Alisha brought it back down to the ground with her and she pressed it to her cheek. She held on to it tightly, making sure he wouldn't pull it away.

It was just like when Malcho tried to wake her up; he pressed his wing to her cheek so that she could feel something real. So that she knew he was here with her. That she was safe. Now it was Alisha's turn to let him know that.

As loud as her voice could carry, Alisha called out to him once again. "I'm here! I'm here, Malcho! Open your eyes!" She pressed the wing tighter to her cheek. She could feel his scales against her skin.

Malcho's eyes snapped open at last. He caught his breath, while his heart pounded like a jack rabbit. His mind reeled; it was…all a dream? He looked around, and his rounded eyes fell on Alisha, a part of her face cupped in his wing.

"Malcho," she breathed, giving a smile of relief.

He blinked. "Alisha…" Then he pushed himself up, catching his breath. He swallowed something thick. "Oh mi dios, it was all a dream." He lied back down, feeling his heart calm itself. "Thank goodness."

"Are you all right?" The harpy asked, still holding his wing.

He exhaled a breath, easing himself. "I —" Malcho's voice stopped as he looked at Alisha. He saw the concern and warmth in her expression, her green eyes sweeping him up in her gaze. Malcho loosened his wing from her grasp, pulling it back to his side.

He got up off the ground and gave the arpía his back. "Si, I am."

His tone was different, Alisha could tell. It was deep and solemn. She watched as he curled back up in his coils, just a little farther away from her.

"Forgive me for disturbing your rest." Malcho apologized. He went silent, then. Malcho laid his head down, his eyes going out into the distance. He would not allow himself to be weak. Not now.

"No." Alisha said, her eyes fixated on him. She slowly moved closer to the giant snake, speaking softly to him. "No. You're not all right. Malcho, tell me what happened in your nightmare."

"It was nothing, Alisha."

"Nothing?" she echoed. "That wasn't 'nothing', Malcho. You sounded like you were in pain — you were shouting my name, you needed me."

Malcho shut his eyes and cursed at himself. Was he really shouting for Alisha like that? Why? Why was he so pathetic now? In his eyelids, he saw his expression in the ice. Seeing himself like that reminded him of the past. He remembered how helpless and feeble he was before. Malcho erased that part of himself many, many years ago. He tossed it away, without any second thought, so he could be who he was now. He had no other option, and honestly, he gladly did. That Malcho was pathetic. He was far too naïve to the world. Now he was stronger, and more experienced.

He wasn't powerless, but he felt distracted. By what, he didn't know.

"I'm here if you need me." Alisha said behind him. "Really, Malcho, I am."

His eyes opened into a narrow gaze as he turned to the harpy. "You do not even know me, Alisha. Why waste your time with a stranger?"

"I still want to help you."

"Help?" he scoffed. "Why? You do not owe me anything. Do not help me because you feel that you have to. I do not want your pity, Alisha." Malcho, coldly, turned away from her.

That was the last thing he needed. To be pitied from an arpía he barely knew. As if seeing his self in a state of weakness wasn't anymore humiliating. Malcho never depended on anyone; he never _wanted _to depend on anyone. He was Malcho the Great, Malcho the Magnificent! He needed remind himself this. He needed to focus his objective: Destroy Iago and Aladdin.

Malcho couldn't allow Alisha to distract him. He would take her to Agrabah and leave her to take his revenge. That would be it. She would be on her own from there. He doubted if he'd see her again, which would probably be best for him.

Alisha was doing something to Malcho — something he couldn't describe. He noticed it after their wings touched, how she smiled at him, how she gazed at him with those eyes, and when the blood rushes to his scales (which seemed to be getting worse the longer he was with her.) It was beginning to drive him mad!

Alisha could only stare at Malcho. Did he truly believe she pitied him? Her eyes were a mixture of question and sorrow, and slowly she shook her head. "No. No, I don't pity you at all, Malcho."

Malcho turned back to the harpy again, his eyes locking on to nothing else but her. Alisha took a step forward to the snake. "But I just wonder sometimes what kind of world you've lived in that would make you think things like that. I want to help you because I _want _to. And maybe because…"

Alisha took a moment to stop and pause. In a heartbeat the answer came, rushing upon her like an ocean wave. Malcho stared at her, waiting for her to finish.

The harpy smiled at him. "And maybe because…I really like you, Malcho."

Malcho's eyes widened at her, once again the scales on his face warming. And he turned away before Alisha could see. His black hair hung around his face as his head lowered, yet his eyes were still round.

She…Alisha liked him? Malcho wasn't sure how to react. He had never been liked by anyone or anything before. And to hear someone say that they do…it astounded him.

Suddenly, he felt something touch his left wing. Malcho glanced at it and blinked at Alisha's wings wrapped around it, like before when she woke him up from his nightmare. Her touch was gentle and warm to him, and slowly, he met her green eyes that were full of kindness and compassion, and on her lips was her smile. And Malcho, as always, was unable to turn away.

Their gazes locked in a cloud of silence that thickened in the air around them. Malcho's chest welled up with a strange and novel burning that surged through his body.

Just like when Alisha had her nightmare, Malcho didn't know what to do or what to say in their situation. He was at a loss. He understood now that Alisha truly wanted to help him. And maybe…maybe he did need her help. Was that why he called out to her in his nightmare? He remembered her wing was out to him, like she was waiting for him to come and take it. And the moment Malcho was so close, and then the ice gave in beneath him, he had never been so terrified.

Was Malcho really…_comfortable _with Alisha? She certainly was with him, he could see that, but he — Malcho the Great — at ease with an arpía?

Alisha cocked her head slightly to the side, her smile never falling. "How about this, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, like you did with me when I had my nightmare. Huh?"

Malcho didn't say anything. After a moment, he moved his wing from Alisha's grasp and lifted her up off the ground very slowly. She barely weighed anything, and was half the size of Malcho's giant wing.

Alisha didn't jump or gasp at his action, and she felt her feet leave the ground. Alisha was surprised inwardly. She wasn't expecting Malcho to do something like this. But she trusted him, knowing he wouldn't drop her.

He gently set her down on his coils and laid his head down by her. Alisha sat down and began to stroke his head, brushing his thick black hair back. Malcho embraced every gentle touch of her wing.

"You don't mind this, do you?" Alisha asked Malcho.

"Of course not," he answered, his eyes closed, "Gracias, mi amiga."

There was a short pause. Then he heard her ask, "Malcho, can I ask you a question?"

Malcho opened his eyes and looked at her as Alisha stopped stroking his head.

"What does 'amiga' mean?" Alisha asked Malcho. "I don't know that one and you call me that almost all the time."

"Oh. Amiga means…" Malcho's voice froze for a heartbeat. "…Amiga means 'friend' in Spanish."

Alisha's blinked at him with surprise, "Really?"

He nodded.

She beamed a smile as bright as the sun at him. "You're my amiga too, Malcho."

What she said sunk in, and Malcho snorted a laugh before letting it out and shaking his head, finally cracking up at her.

Alisha blinked at him again, obliviously. "What? What's so funny?"

He chuckled. "Sorry," Malcho tried to stop laughing but couldn't. "It's just I'm 'amigo', Alisha. _You_ are amiga."

Alisha's face brightened when she understood. "Oh…well, you know what I mean." Even with her red cheeks, Alisha still gave Malcho a kind smile.

His laughing slowly died down and he looked at her for a moment. "Si, I do." Then he returned it with a smile of his own.

Maybe he was comfortable with this arpía. And now that he thought about it, Malcho enjoyed her company. In moments she was back to stroking him and Malcho laying his head back down on his coils. Suddenly, Alisha began to hum a melody.

Malcho realized it was the same melody she hummed before when she had her nightmare. Her voice became as sweet as a bell to him as she began to sing it.

"_Hush my dear, rest your head, and close your eyes_

_As you drift away from the pain and lies._

_And when you wake in the morning, I'll be here._

_Even as you dream and can't see me, I will be near."_

Her voice was as smooth as thunder to Malcho, and he fell asleep, with Alisha resting her head on his, fast asleep herself.

The two were completely unaware that they were being watched by a pair of wide golden eyes, dangling the brown stem of an apple core between his dark claws.


	5. Chapter 5: Kind?

**Author Notes****: **Hey, guys! New chapter for all of you! Took me long enough, right? All right, let me start off by apologizing for the long wait _yet _again. It's been, like, what...a while since I posted a chapter...? I don't know. Well, wait is over! Thankfully I had some good friends read the chapters before I typed them, and they gave me good ideas and feedback.

**Special Thanks: **Lastly, I would like to thank the reviews I got. Thank you so much, that really meant a lot to me. Your support was wonderful :)

Enjoy.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY original Aladdin characters in this story, nor do I own the settings involved with them. They all belong to their rightful owners. I only own Alisha, Zadesh, Sabin, and Brone.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Kind…?

Malcho awoke with a groggy-sounding yawn. Licking his scaly lips with his forked tongue, he noticed Alisha fast asleep on his coils.

He looked at her for a short moment. Last night replayed in his memories, and Malcho heaved a sigh. He would remember that _right _when he wakes up…. With a few shifts of his coils, Malcho set Alisha down on the ground, gently.

Malcho yawned again, and then turned to his head up to the sky. Judging by the light it had to be noon. He wasn't surprised that he slept so long, especially since last night was both a physical and mental drain. Ugh…

A deep rumble from his stomach caught the serpent's attention. He had to find something to eat, and he knew exactly what he wanted.

Meat.

Malcho's mouth watered. But his sprain, could he hunt? He figured it was time he started trying… Malcho extended it an inch. That wasn't bad. Then he moved his wing around a little. It felt a little tight, but no pain. Bueno!

Malcho's hopes began to rise. Maybe his sprain finally healed! _Bueno, _he thought excitedly.

Sadly, his hopes fell as fast as they rose when he flapped his wing. His muscles screeched out in pain, and Malcho had to swallow an agonized yelp so he wouldn't wake Alisha.

He sighed again. All right, maybe it wasn't _fully _healed yet. At least he could move it.

_It's a start…_ he guessed.

Malcho wasted no time satisfying his hunger. Leaving his arpía companion at the oasis to sleep, Malcho set out hunting for anything that he could sink his fangs into. This gave him the opportunity to exercise his right wing a little, though he made sure not to over-due it. The last thing he wanted was to hurt it all over again and extend his stay on that blasted oasis any longer.

Within an hour, Malcho feasted on a wild camel that he did not hesitate to strike down. Blood trickled down the sides of his mouth as he tore off a chunk of flesh with his sharp daggers for teeth. The taste was absolutely divine to Malcho! He couldn't remember the last time he had meat.

_When was the last time…? _He wondered to himself. _Ah, not since I escaped from the Frozen North._

He remembered as soon as he freed himself from his icy prison, the first think Malcho needed was food. He was starving! He hunted and ate the first creature he saw and headed straight for Agrabah, saving his appetite for the taste of a treacherous parrot. (An appetite he was _still _saving.)

With his belly full, Malcho bathed in the sun's warm light. The hot sand served as a balmy bed while the light soothed him into a point of pure relaxation. He gave what was ever left of the camel to the buzzards.

Nevertheless, even with all this comfort, the serpent's thoughts still drifted their way back to last night, no matter how much he didn't want them to.

_I still want to help you._

Malcho closed his eyes at the echo of Alisha's words.

_What does 'amiga' mean?_

"Amiga," Malcho mused in a hushed baritone whisper. He opened his eyes and let his gaze travel somewhere out into the distance. His brow furrowed in aggravation. "What is wrong with me?"

Caramba, why couldn't he forget?

_I really like you, Malcho._

He wished he could forget. Malcho never wanted to remember that night ever again. He wanted it pushed to the farthest part of his memory, and he wanted it to stay there, never to be recalled again.

Malcho assumed Alisha knew what 'amiga' meant since she said she knew a little Spanish. And it wasn't a hard word to understand. Anyone could easily follow what Malcho meant when he called someone 'amigo' or 'amiga'.

Anyone but Alisha…

_You're my amiga too, Malcho._

Malcho tried not to smile, but it couldn't be helped. He chuckled at the memory. But he quickly shook it off. Damn, he was beginning to lose focus of his true objective: Vengeance. Ever since he met Alisha, he had been acting — feeling — strange.

His thoughts were…different around her.

Malcho would think less of his revenge; it would, of course, ring a bell from the back of his brain to remind him it was still there. But when the bell didn't ring, his thoughts would be wrapped around his lost arpía. And now that last night has happened, Malcho's tolerance was wearing thin.

_All she had to do was say a few pathetic words and my weakness came into the light. _Malcho thought with wrath. He could not let this continue. _Alisha is just an unexpected interference, that is all. Nothing more than that…_

She could think of him as a friend if she wanted, it did not matter to Malcho. His feelings for her were clear. He cared nothing for her. Absolutely nothing…. He couldn't wait to get to Agrabah and be rid of her.

The sooner the better.

* * *

Up ahead, Malcho could see the green of the oasis as he slithered across the sand. He stopped, abruptly, when he spotted a flash that caught the corner of his eye.

Malcho followed it down below from the top of the hill he was on. He spotted what looked like three jackals. Their tongues hung out of their jaws as they bounded across the ground. The serpent peered harder, noticing they were chasing something very tiny, and…_orange?_

"It can't be," he muttered. Was it really? He studied the running prey closely. Huh, it was! It was the same little monster from yesterday!

The mouse-beast ran as fast as he could, trying to outrun the predators pursuing him.

Malcho stopped right there and watched longer than he intended.

The creature had a look of pure panic on his mouse face, bounding as fast as his paws could carry him. His heart thundered like a drum; his tiny lungs pleading for a rest.

_Why?_ He asked himself, _why didn't I listen to her? _The creature thought back to that odd-looking girl, the girl with those wings. She was so kind to give him that apple he almost stole from that giant snake. (_Nacho? _Was that his name, the mouse wondered.)

He remembered that she told him not to steal food, and he had full intention to listen, but he was so hungry…

The creature thought he had done better this time—the moment these jackals turned their backs on their kill, he snatched it in his tiny canines and _ran!_ But just like what happened with the snake one of them spotted him, and here they were now, chasing him. Even after he dropped their kill on the ground and squeaked an apology!

Now they wanted a taste of him, instead.

The terrified creature broke from his thoughts as one of the jackal's jaws clamped down on his tail. He cried out and felt himself lifted in the air by his tail. In a flash he was flung to the ground, somersaulting to a stop.

The wind left his body, and he felt dizzy after that somersault. Dust floated in the air around him, and when he looked up, he saw the hungry and viscous eyes of the three jackals that caged him in.

Wincing, he stood back up and growled at them. If he could stand up to a giant, purple snake with wings, then he could stand up to three stupid dogs! And he jumped at the jackal in front of him, ready to fight!

The jackal snarled what sounded like a laugh. With his paw, he side-smacked the orange mouse back to the ground.

Yet he got back up, feeling a deep pain shoot up his back paw as he did. Ignoring it, the mouse charged at the jackal again. His fangs and claws out to attack.

Malcho watched with a stone cold face. _I knew the little Diablo was loco, but I had no idea he was that loco._ What was he thinking? It was three against one. The mouse's death was inevitable.

Coldly, the snake turned around, his eyes narrowed, and started back to the oasis. "It serves the thief right." Malcho said out loud. "I am just sorry it isn't me giving the rodent what it deserves."

Malcho suddenly froze mid-slither not a moment after that came out of his mouth. His eyes now round.

_I do hope the little guy will be okay out there._

"Alisha…" He breathed. What would she think if he left this creature here to die? Would she be angry with him?

Malcho shook his head, shaking away those thoughts. He could not let those thoughts get the best of him, not again!

Yet the serpent still turned back around and found himself staring down the hill once more. Now the creature was pinned down to the ground by one of the jackals. All three of them gazed at him with hunger.

_Déjà vu… _He thought. This was the law of survival: the weak are killed by the strong. This was nature. Malcho witnessed this almost every single day when he lived his days in the rainforest. Death and survival… And what did it matter to him if that rodent was killed? The orange wretch was probably getting what he deserves. Thievery was a low way of living, or so Malcho believed.

So then…why couldn't he turn away…?

Malcho would have killed the thief himself if Alisha had not interfered….heh…of course. It all goes back to her…Alisha.

Malcho snickered a laugh at himself. Damn, it seemed this arpía's hold on Malcho was stronger than he thought. And he slithered down the hill, exhaling a deep sigh.

Well, it was three against one…very unfair from what he could see.

It didn't take long for them to spot him. All three jackals jumped back away from the serpent, the rodent dangling from the middle jackal's jaws. At first they were startled by him, but it quickly changed into intimidation as they flashed their fangs at Malcho, threatening the Quetzalcoatl.

Malcho flashed his back, a hiss rolling out from between his fangs. This brought back so many nostalgic memories — where you would have been a predator's lunch if you weren't strong enough. Malcho would have sighed if he wasn't about to fight. _Ah, memories._

The jackal on the left was the first to attack. It ran at the snake, and with a leap off the ground, it pounced at Malcho.

He shielded himself with his left wing. He winced as he felt the wild dog's jaws clamp down on his wing, its fangs digging into his feathers. He flung it in the air, using his immense strength to shove the dog off him.

The jackal couldn't hold on. It felt its jaws slip as it was hurdled in the air, colliding into the rock-hard hill behind. The jackal yipped as it hit the sand with a blunt _thump! _

Malcho turned from it to the two other jackals and glared at them. He was practically _daring _one of them to try and fight.

The jackal on the right hesitated. It looked from the snake to its cringing comrade. The dog turned, bounding in the opposite direction. Its life was more valuable than a worthless rat.

The jackal in the middle watched the other run. Craning its head back, it tossed the limp mouse at the ground before the snake. If it wanted the thief that badly, it could have it. The jackal ran after its comrade.

Then the third quickly got back to its feet, staggering a little as it did. It ran with its tail between its legs as it ran after the others.

Malcho smiled to himself. _Filthy dogs,_ he thought. They should have known better than to challenge Malcho the Great. His smile quickly fell as he caught the aroma of blood. Looking down to his wing, he saw that the jackal's fangs pierced deeper than he thought. The wound wasn't so bad; the blood made it look worse than it actually was. And it didn't hurt Malcho that much either. Of course, this was like a splinter compared to the pain of his sprain.

His eyes lifted from his wound to the creature just a few feet away from him. Was it still alive? Malcho slithered up to the rodent to check.

The creature was unaware to what was coming his way. He was in far too much pain to notice. His back paw throbbed in agony. The muscles felt twisted. He cringed, his tiny body shaking.

The orange mouse heard a strange noise that sounded like leather across sand, and suddenly everything went dark around him. He struggled to look, and when he did, his little heart stopped for a second, his golden eyes rounding.

Malcho stared down at the beast, ignoring the wound on his wing. He saw the creature's eyes stare back and noticed they were large. The serpent sighed, _he's alive._ A knot untangled itself in his chest. Huh? He stopped and froze for a moment. That was odd. Maybe it was just his adrenaline rush going down — yes, that was it. Adrenaline…

Malcho looked down at the beast again and saw that his eyes were still wide on him, along with his orange ears bent down to his skull. And Malcho could have sworn that he heard the mouse gulp.

He knew it was cruel, but Malcho still smiled darkly at the rodent and chuckled at him. "Ah, I see you remember me, you rotten little thief."

The mouse began to tremble. He would've bolted from that spot if his back paw wasn't wracked with pain. Well, at least he put up a good fight in the end. He never thought it would end like this, though.

Malcho blinked at the quivering mouse, raising a brow. Every fiber of his body was telling him to give this thief what he deserved…then he noticed his twisted foot. His hardened look softened a little.

The creature squeaked a shriek as the serpent looked closely at his foot. He trembled more and shielded himself with his paws, fearful that the snake was going to finish him off.

_With a twisted foot like this, _Malcho thought, _this rodent will…_ He stopped the thought. Malcho wanted to turn away and leave the rodent there, but, damn it all, he couldn't. And worst of all he didn't know why.

His eyes narrowed in frustration, and he scooped the orange mouse in his wings. He ignored its squeak of fright, and Malcho slithered up the hill, heading for the oasis. Not a single thought went through his mind. Malcho knew it would rattle with questions of 'why?', and that was the last thing he wanted.

* * *

Alisha yawned for the third time as she sat by the pool. She lifted her wings high in the air and stretched. _I wonder where he went…_The harpy wondered. When she awoke she was all alone. Malcho was nowhere to be found.

It worried her a little. Alisha was use to waking up and seeing that giant snake now. But, then again, last night…

Alisha wrapped her wings around her dark red pants, and she felt a gentle breeze flow past her. Her green eyes fell to the water, solemnly.

_What kind of nightmare could terrify him so badly?_ Alisha wondered. She recalled Malcho's fear-filled cries, his panic… It made her scared just watching. Here was this enormous snake who could doubtlessly snap a human in half, regardless of their strength or size. Malcho probably wouldn't have to try either. And here he was calling her name, as though he truly needed her in those terrifying moments of his nightmare.

Alisha could only imagine what his nightmare was about. If it could scare a giant snake, then who knows what it could have done to her. The heart could only take so much fright.

Malcho was this brave, bold, and strong creature. What can possibly fill his heart with so much horror?

With a wing, Alisha gently brushed an annoyingly long lock of her brown bangs from her eyes behind her ear. It fell not a second later, but it didn't blind her. More minutes passed. Alisha looked around and still no sign of Malcho.

The harpy sighed. "I wonder what's taking him…"

"Alisha," she heard him after another minute passed. The harpy's head perked up and she turned to her serpent friend with a smile.

"Malcho," Alisha stood up on her taloned feet and went up to him. "There you are."

She noticed his wings were cupped together. He presented them in front of her, and when she saw what was in his wings, Alisha's blinked, surprised.

He was curled into a tiny orange ball and trembling like a leaf, his paws covering his eyes. The little mouse creature from yesterday!

"He's hurt." Malcho told her flatly. "It's his foot."

Alisha's expression softened. "Poor thing," she said. Then she slowly took the mouse into her own wings.

He squeaked at the new touch. When he looked up and saw who it was, the mouse-beast blinked. _The girl with wings!_ His nerves calmed a little.

Alisha cradled him in her wings, like how a mother would with her infant child. The mouse's back paw, his right one, caught her eye. She could easily tell by the swelling it was a sprain. "What happened?" She asked the serpent.

His gaze was somewhere to the side, "Jackals." Malcho answered her. "There were three of them, and the rodent was loco enough to fight back."

Her mouth fell open. Jackals!? _Three of them!?_ Alisha remembered seeing two jackals fighting a few days after she ran away, and it was _not _a pretty sight. She had never seen such viscous creatures.

The harpy looked back down at the orange mouse in her wings, then. He looked back up at her, meeting her eyes. She could see he was curious at her astonishment, cocking his little head to the side. Her mouth began to close, shrinking as her gaze was guided back to Malcho.

He didn't return her gaze. Not even when he felt her eyes on him.

Alisha's voice was as soft as her expression at him. "And you saved him, didn't you?" She knew he couldn't deny it. She was waiting for him to speak, but all she received was silence.

There was a deep solemn in Malcho's silence. As always, Alisha thought. She smiled at him. She knew by now that when Malcho didn't want to answer a question, he would become quiet. Maybe to avoid the answer, or maybe the question, she wasn't sure.

Alisha knew he did, even though he didn't answer. _And after all the fuss between these two yesterday…_ she thought.

She looked back down to the orange mouse. Her smile never fell. "All right, then. Let's wrap that foot up."

He blinked at her again.

With her cloak, Alisha tore off a strand of it with her teeth. It was the perfect length to serve as a little cast. She sat on her knees by the pool, setting the mouse down in front of her. Alisha soaked the strand of cloth in the water, after squeezing it out she began to gently wrap it around his injured foot.

The mouse cringed at first, feeling a sharp pain at his sore foot being touched. Gradually it dulled as the cool water eased the pain.

"Oh, and Malcho," Alisha caught his attention, too busy tying the mouse's foot to look at him, "if you're going out and you may be a while, let me know next time, okay?"

Malcho turned to her finally. Alisha didn't look irritated as she said this. No, like always, Alisha smiled that calm smile.

"There. All better now." Alisha said as she finished wrapping that cloth around the mouse-beast's foot. He inspected it, wiggling his mouse toes. "How does it feel?" She asked.

The mouse smiled and nodded.

"Good." Then Alisha turned to Malcho, who was now watching in silence at them. She stood up, cleaning her pants off of any dirt as she walked towards him. "I was worried about you. I wasn't sure when you were going to come back."

Malcho saw that gleam in her eyes — that same damned gleam that always got the better of him! Not this time. Malcho turned his head again, turning away from her. "Forgive me. I needed to clear my head." He hoped she'd let it go after hearing the way he said it: as if he didn't care and it was already taken care of.

Alisha's brow couldn't help but furrow in confusion. Something seemed different with him all of a sudden… "It was about last night, wasn't it?"

"Si, but it is fine now."

"Oh…Well, if you say so…" She still wasn't convinced, of course. Something didn't seem right with him, like he was — Alisha's eyes fell to his left wing. She gasped, "Malcho! You're bleeding!"

That drew back his attention. He followed Alisha eyes to his left wing. "Oh, this?" Malcho lifted his wing in the air, giving it another look. The blood was just starting to dry, clumping together his feathers that were around the wound, and the blood turned their color a shade darker.

He forgot all about it.

Alisha took his wing into hers, inspecting it herself. Malcho swallowed something thick at her touch, a sudden feeling creeping up his spine. Odd, he should be use to her touch by now. He saw her look up at him with those two green pools of concern.

"It doesn't even hurt." Malcho told her. Wordlessly, Alisha turned. He watched her tear another strand off her cloak; only it was much larger than the last one. "Really, amiga, I'm all right."

"Come here." She told him, motioning a wing at him. She stood in front of the pool. "Let's clean that and get it wrapped up."

After staring at her for a moment, Malcho heaved a sigh of defeat. Well, now that she's bent on helping him, _might as well…_

This was nothing compared to the bruises, scratches, and bite marks Malcho use to get. It didn't even come close. His wounds would take weeks — almost a whole month or two — to heal. Wounds were a custom to his life now, as was the pain. He grew use to them, just like everything else. There were times Malcho never gave them a second thought, as long as the creature who gave him the wound suffered horribly by him. It would hurt, yes, but it would be worth it knowing he was the victor.

That was all that mattered to Malcho.

Malcho sat by the pool with Alisha, watching her soak the cloth in the water. His eyes happened to fall on the creature, standing far away from him.

He was still cautious of the snake and Alisha (though he knew he had nothing to fear from her) He just had mixed feelings about the snake. First he fights him and then he saves him. The mouse wasn't sure to trust him or not, and he felt it was wiser to keep his distance in case the snake wanted to start round two. Just in case.

Alisha sat by Malcho. He extended his injured wing out to her and she took it. "Now," she said before she began, "this may hurt a little."

Malcho snorted. "I doubt tha — OW!"

The moment that cold, wet cloth touched his wound, Malcho let out a yelp, feeling the pain travel up his wing. It felt like Alisha took a knife and stabbed him with it.

Gently, Alisha pulled away, letting the sting go away. "See? I told you."

"Yes," Malcho said stiffly, feeling the pain slowly go away, "so you did."

How many blasted times was this arpía going to smack his ego in the face? He wondered.

Malcho stiffened at the twinge of pain that shot up his wing when Alisha went back to cleaning it. He let out a deep rumble that came from his chest, wincing. Alisha was gentle as she did this; she knew to not be rough with such a tender wound.

She soaked the cloth again and patted it around the bite mark, slowly. "What you did was very brave, Malcho." Alisha told him after a minute. "I know no one would have been brave enough to do that."

He looked at her, keeping his surprise on the inside.

And when she smiled at him, it was sweet and sincere. She, honestly, never would have expected Malcho to do such a thing. Two humans, Alisha knew, were easy. But jackals? That was a different story. Yet what really surprised Alisha was the fact that Malcho still saved the creature after the little fight between them yesterday. All his insults and threats…and yet still Malcho saved him.

Then Alisha said something Malcho never dreamed he'd ever hear someone say.

"And not only brave, but very kind, too."

That sentence made Malcho raise a brow at her, "Kind?" he echoed, confused. He watched her nod, and then she averted her attention back to his wound.

…Kind? Him? Malcho the Great? Ha! How ridiculous! Probably the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Malcho was a lot of things — but "kind" was definitely not one of them. If Alisha knew _anything_ about him — truly, _truly_ knew him — she would take back that compliment and crumple it up, then drop it on the ground and stomp it into the dirt until it was no more.

All of Malcho's kindness molded and decayed as the years passed, and gradually, it became something bitter and twisted. It lodged itself somewhere in that black, shriveled object he guessed was his heart.

Oh, if Alisha knew him differently…

…And yet…something inside his chest warmed at what she said. _Do not let it get the better of you. _Malcho told himself. _Ignore it —_

"You think I am kind?"

_Damn it!_

Malcho immediately wanted to smack himself in the face for asking that question, cursing inwardly at himself. He began to wonder, do humans make muzzles his size nowadays?

Alisha looked up to him, her eyes full of surprise at his question. Then with a blink, they softened, the surprise fading away. "Well, yes, I do." She answered. "I mean, if someone is willing to help someone else in need, doesn't that make them kind?"

Malcho fell quiet, the question slowly beginning to sink in.

She cleaned his wound more, and as she did, Alisha spoke to him in sincerity and tenderness. "You saved me from those men when you didn't have to, you comforted me when I needed it, and now you've saved that little creature from certain death. If that isn't kind, Malcho, then I don't know what is."

The serpent had nothing to say to that. Malcho was engulfed in silence, gazing at the arpía doctoring his wing. The warmth in his chest spread. But before when he tried to ignore it in hopes it would go away, this time he didn't give it such a cold shoulder. He acknowledged it instead of pretending it wasn't there.

_It will go away._ He told himself. _It will go away…_

Suddenly, Alisha gasped, nearly jumping three feet in the air when she felt something land on her shoulder. She and Malcho saw the orange creature there, looking directly at his wound.

_I didn't know he got hurt…_the mouse thought. He felt a pinch of guilt in his chest. And here he thought the snake was going to eat him…the mouse couldn't help but feel guilty. Sure, he was scary looking, and their first impression of each other wasn't exactly good, but now that he knew the snake went out of his way to save him, and got hurt in the process…the mouse's impression of the snake changed.

Alisha and Malcho stared at the creature, questioningly.

With great balance, the mouse-beast crawled down Alisha's wing, the wing touching Malcho's.

He blinked at the rodent as he felt its tiny paws on his injured wing. The mouse perched itself there, still gazing at his wound. "What do you want, vermin?" Malcho demanded sharply. Hadn't this rodent caused him enough —

His eyes widened at the mouse. The little mouse began licking his wound. Malcho felt its little tongue gently brush against the jackal's bite mark. This action shoved Malcho far past the point of surprised.

_Maybe this snake isn't so bad after all. _The creature thought to himself. _They're both really weird…but I kinda like them._

They were both something he had never seen before. They were — what would be a good word…? — Ah, unique.

Yes, unique.

Alisha couldn't deny the smile that blossomed effortlessly as she watched. She looked up to Malcho, whose eyes were as round as dish plates.

"I think he's saying: Thank you."

* * *

Zadesh stood a couple feet away from the fire, waiting. His black gloved hands clasped around the buzzard's skull of his cane, which was firmly planted in the sand.

His long, sleeveless overcoat was as black as the night sky above him. The only colorful things on Zadesh were his baggy pants, which were stripped two different shades of purple (a lighter color and darker color) his silk, garnet belt tied around his waist, his low-cut, sleeveless white shirt, his golden sandals with the curly tips at the toes, and, of course, his hat.

Zadesh's hat was as equally precious to him as his cane was. It was his favorite color: black. He rarely ever took it off. It was like those fancy top hats, with a blood-red gem planted on it, and protruding from behind that gem was a long, slim feather that came to the very back of his head. The feather was as bloody red as the gem.

A cold breeze swept past him, caressing back his dark-orange hair. The breeze was strong enough to blow his long pony tail back, and then drop back down between his shoulders.

Chills went up his unprotected arms but he ignored them.

_Damn. _He thought bitterly. _It's bloody colder than it was last night._

For a place that was endlessly hot during the day, you never would have thought it would get so blasted cold at night.

"Boss," Zadesh heard Sabin behind him. He turned his head around and saw his two lackeys sitting in front of one of the tents. Sabin sat with his toothpick legs crossed, carving into a block of wood with his knife. "Why don't we just call it a night, huh? We've been sittin' here for hours."

"He's got a point, Boss." Brone said. His mouth was stuffed with a chunk of his chicken leg as he sat by Sabin. Zadesh was surprised he could make out the words… Brone swallowed. "Those guys should have been here by now. How long do you plan on waitin'?"

Zadesh looked away from them; his eyes back on the dark horizon, "As long as it takes." He answered. "We'll wait all night if we must."

By the way they said it, he could've guessed Sabin and Brone's jaws dropped as they exclaimed, "WHAT!? But Boss —"

"Oh, come now" Zadesh turned back around to them, grinning a devilish grin, "haven't you two ever heard the phrase: 'Patience is a virtue'?"

Clueless, they both shook their heads side to side.

Zadesh heaved a defeated sigh, and then with a hardened face turned away from them. "Why am I not surprised?" He muttered with cold eyes.

Since the moment he first laid eyes on them, Zadesh knew Sabin and Brone were idiots. They were homeless, jobless, and penniless fools when he met them, two desperate men in desperate need of a job. Yet aside from their half-twit brains, they were surprisingly useful to Zadesh.

Sabin with his impressive skills with knives, and Brone with his massive, barbaric strength. (Zadesh assumed all that fat under his skin was power of some kind…)

He knew having two men like them on his side would come in handy, in case if anything were to happen with an angry and unsatisfied customer or two…

Alas, as useful as they were, Brone and Sabin always knew how to get under Zadesh's skin with their astounding cluelessness. There were _countless _times when he wanted to bash their hallow heads in. How he always found the strength not to was far beyond him. It was because of their carelessness that he had to hunt his harpy down and bring her back, and how _thankful _he was she didn't know how to fly.

Otherwise he would have had a _real _problem.

Zadesh knew where she was going, too. He knew it was the only place Alisha knew of. And he knew her "reason" for running back there.

He smiled, the flames of the fire casted a glare on his black eyes. _Alisha, you pathetic fool… _

If only she knew…

A sound echoed in the distance. It carried in the still air, snatching Zadesh from his thoughts. He could see figures coming their way in the darkness, the sound of hooves growing louder.

"About time," He mumbled, aggravated. Sabin and Brone stopped what they were doing and watched. Zadesh quickly turned to them and pointed the butt of his cane at them. They flinched at the intensity of his warning. "Keep your mouths shut, understand? I don't want to hear a single word out of you two."

They gulped, and nodded.

"Good." With that, he turned, watching the figures on their horses growing closer each second. Zadesh could see five horses, which meant five men. A tad excessive for an easy job as this, but he wasn't going to complain to the men retrieving his harpy.

At last they rode up to the tiny camp, stopping their horses just a few feet away from the fire. Zadesh scanned them. He could see they had everything they needed for their job: chains, shields, swords, daggers, bow and arrows, and many other items strapped to their belts and to the saddles of their horses. They were going to be disappointed they won't be able to use them…. All five men were cloaked in dark cloaks with their hoods up.

Zadesh could see only shadows on their faces.

"You are Zadesh, I assume?" One of them asked.

He responded with a friendly smile, tipping his hat to them. "You are correct. And you are the men who answered my request, I assume?"

"You assumed correctly."

His smile broadened a little. He was afraid no one would respond to his request, since the village he was staying in had no hunters like these men. But as luck would have it, a village that was not far from here did. "They're traveling monster hunters," the villager here said. "They're all from different parts of the world, hunting wretched beasts together. They're resting in the next village that's only a few miles from here."

He was unaware about how much word gotten out about his missing harpy. So when Zadesh was prepared to leave for the village to go find the hunters, a traveler from that village gave him a letter from the men he was about to find. It said come out into the desert at night, with the payment in hand.

"Is this all of you?" Zadesh asked them.

One of the hunters mounted off his horse. "Yes," he answered.

All that stood between Zadesh and the hunter was the camp fire.

"If you don't mind," Zadesh said, courteously, "but it would be comforting for me to see your face before we discuss."

Surprisingly, the man did not object, "As you wish." And he pushed his hood back.

He assumed he had to be in his mid-thirties. His skin was a deep color, and with short, dark hair to match, along with dark-colored eyes. "Is this better?"

"Yes, it is."

"Good. Now, to business, what is it we are hunting?" The monster hunter asked.

"A harpy," Zadesh answered. He shook off the surprise that they didn't know, since his missing she-beast was, apparantly, the talk of the village. Then again, you can never trust rumors. "But first off, allow me to clarify something. This is not a 'hunt' but merely…a _retrieval._"

The man's brow furrowed at him, "Retrieval?" He repeated. "You asked for monster hunters when all you want is the creature found and brought back?"

Zadesh nodded, pleasantly.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand," the man told him, "we are hunters. Whatever we are looking for we _kill _it and then bring it back. That is our job. We do not 'retrieve'."

Zadesh's eyes darkened, though his smile never fell.

"If you want this beast found and brought back, you will have to find someone —"

His snicker cut him off. "I'm afraid _you _misunderstand." Zadesh's once pleasant tone thickened with ice. He stared down the hunter, piercing him with his black eyes. The man could only stare in silence. "You answered my request to find my monster, which, by the way, I am paying you to find, so that technically makes me your customer. And as your paying customer, I expect to get what I want."

Zadesh then pulled out a bag that was tied around his belt. It was as big as his palm, and it was _fat. _You could hear the _ching _of the gold scrapping together inside.

The hunter's eyes were glued to it. Nothing could pry them away from it, not even a crowbar.

Zadesh's smile broadened with slyness. Give a dog a bone and it will be your companion for life. He shifted the plump bag. Maybe just a little teasing, just to prove their loyalty…

"Of course," Zadesh gave the bag a tiny toss in the air. The gold rattled more when it landed in his hand. "If you're not interested, then I guess I could find someone else…"

The hunter paused, and then turned to his four companions. They looked at each other, seeming to converse.

Behind, Sabin and Brone cackled quietly. Good' ol Boss always knew how to work someone without even trying.

The four hooded hunters looked back at the man and nodded. He turned back to the grinning Zadesh. "What is it you want us to…retrieve again?"

His triumph manifested in his eyes. _Works every time! _Then again, what dog can resist such a juicy looking bone?

"A harpy." Zadesh answered. "Her name is Alisha. She ran away a few days ago. Luckily, she can't fly, so that will make it all the easier to find her."

The hunter nodded. "What does she look like?"

"Very human, if you ignore her white wings and her feet, anyway. But Alisha isn't an idiot. She'll find a way to blend in. So look for a woman with long brown hair and green eyes, wearing long clothing of some kind."

The hunter nodded again. "And do you have any idea where she might have run off to?"

"Yes," Zadesh answered. It was the only place Alisha would feel safe. "Head east from here, head to Agrabah."

The hunter gave a final nod, "Understood."

"Now, exactly, how long will it take to find her and bring her back, out of curiosity?"

"That depends." The hunter answered. "Since this harpy is flightless, it won't be hard to follow her. But it's all a matter of distance she's had from here to where she's running to. Maybe she hasn't gotten far, or maybe she's there now. We can never guarantee, but we can guess. This, roughly, may take a week or two."

Zadesh let out a heavy breath. That wasn't too bad…he would just have to sell the elixir for double until Alisha returned. (Oh, he was going to make her regret her idiotic decision as soon as they brought her back…)

"Now," the hunter slowly lifted a brown gloved hand out. His eyes quickly flickered to the bag then to Zadesh. "The payment."

Zadesh couldn't hold back his laughter. "What do you take me for?" He tied the bag back around his side. His black coat fell over it, hiding it from hungry eyes. The smile he gave the irritated hunter was dark. "I'll pay when I get my harpy back. Agreed? I get my harpy, you get your gold. Have we got ourselves a deal?"

The hunter glared at him, yet couldn't help but be impressed. _Clever man, _he thought. With a turn, he mounted back on his horse.

"Deal."

Then, as the five hunters rode away, heading towards their targeted direction, Zadesh called out to them. "Farewell! And remember: Bring her back _alive!_"

* * *

I figured it was about time I told you guys what Zadesh looked like. He hasn't shown up in, I dunno, two or three chapters? And who knows when he's going to show up again? *Cough* Soon...*cough*

Anyway, I like to listen to music while I write, especially when it fits the mood I'm trying to get at. During Malcho and Alisha's moment, while she's cleaning his wound, I listened to "Human" by Ellie Goulding. I'm not sure why but that song just kind of fit with the atmosphere...weird, right? Of couse, for the part with Zadesh, I listened to "Bad Blood" by Creature Feature...and a little Dr. Steel, too.

R&R


	6. Chapter 6: A Connection

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY original Aladdin characters in this story, nor do I own the settings involved with them. They all belong to their rightful owners. I only own Alisha, Zadesh, Sabin, and Brone.**

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**Chapter Six**

A Connection

Twice the sun rose and fell.

The muscles in Malcho's wing began to heal, he could feel it. And he would practice, such as moving it around more and stretching it. Yet sadly, he still couldn't fly.

He tried twice. His first attempt was an utter failure. He wasn't even in the air ten seconds before yelping at a stabbing pain in his right wing and crashing to the ground like a rock. And his second attempt? Ugh, like his first.

Failure.

Embarrassing, pitiful, and painful failure.

"At least you were in the air a little longer." Alisha tried to help Malcho look on the bright side.

She also tried when he failed the first time. And like the first time, Malcho didn't perk up so easily.

"Si, just like yesterday." He grumbled, resting a cheek in his wing while drumming his feathers on the ground like fingers. His glare was out to the distance. "I am starting to think I am never getting off this oasis."

"Your sprain just needs more time to heal, Malcho." Alisha told him. "At least you're not getting up every hour to soak it, right?"

Malcho's feathers stopped. "…I suppose." He couldn't deny that. It was such a nuisance constantly easing the agonizing pain of his sprain every time it ached, which was every hour of the day. Not that his sprain didn't have its sore moments here and there, but it wasn't something the pool couldn't handle.

The only thing sore on him now was the wound he got after fighting the jackals. Alisha wrapped it up in another torn piece of her cloak, and like his sprain, Malcho felt only a slight ache that quickly went away when he stopped paying attention to it.

Alisha grabbed his attention when she offered him her last pear. Malcho wanted to deny it at first, but then he remembered he'd never eaten a pear before, and since his last fruit was stolen by a sneaky rodent, Malcho figured, why not?

The bright green fruit was in his grasp for only a few seconds when — _whoosh!_ In a blink it vanished.

Malcho clenched his empty wing into a fist, trying to put out the bitter fire stoking inside him. _Not this nonsense again!_

He casted his glare to the rodent as it sat on Alisha's lap, eating his pear. Its foot was still wrapped in the ting cast she made.

"Why is that vermin still here?" Malcho asked, coldly.

"I'm not sure," Alisha answered, patting the mouse on the head. "He hasn't left since you brought him here."

Both the serpent and the harpy had expected the orange mouse to leave as soon as his foot was bandaged up. Obviously, he could walk on it, but he stayed.

While stroking the mouse, Alisha looked up to Malcho. "I think he likes us." The beast smiled, and began to purr like a cat to her soft strokes.

Unlike Alisha, though, Malcho did not smile. "I would not grow attached to that rodent, amiga."

She looked at him with question.

"As soon as we run out of food, that scavenger will be long gone from here. I promise you that."

He encountered creatures like that all the time in the rainforest. They would steal and eat off another's kill, like the cowards they were. And Malcho despised every one of them. This mouse was not any different.

"I don't think so." Alisha said. "I think he really like us, Malcho. That could be why he's still here."

Malcho almost snorted. "That is exactly what the rodent wants you to think. Trust me amiga, he is only staying because of the food and shelter."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"I knew scavengers like that one where I came from." Then he saw the puzzled look on the arpía's face, which made him raise a brow at her. Even the mouse stared at him. "What?"

"Where _are_ you from?" Alisha asked. It dawned on her that she never asked Malcho this, nor did he ever remotely mention where he was from. She knew he couldn't possibly be from the desert, not with a thick accent like that.

He blinked at her, realizing the same thing she did. "I…never said, did I?"

Alisha shook her head, a lock of brown hair falling down her back.

"This is actually the first time you've mentioned it."

With a wing, Malcho rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, si, so it is…" Funny, he thought that would have been the first thing he told her, proudly. But then again, he was preoccupied with other things. When he saw the look in both Alisha's and the rodent's eyes, he couldn't resist. "…You would like to hear, yes?"

Malcho supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell. After all, Alisha did tell him where she was from. It was only fair, he supposed.

Eagerly they nodded. In only a few heartbeats, Alisha and the mouse sat next to the serpent, listening.

"Wow, a rainforest!" Alisha's eyes were as bright as her voice as soon as he told her. "Malcho, that's amazing!"

He nodded, smugly. "I know."

Then those eyes filled with curiosity as she cocked her head to the side a little. The mouse mimicked her, cocking his tiny head as well. "Wait. What's a rainforest?"

Malcho chuckled. "Exactly how it sounds, mi amiga. It isn't called a 'rain' forest for nothing."

"So it rains there all the time?"

"More than you can imagine."

"Wow, Malcho. It sounds like a wonderful place. It must be beautiful there."

"Si…it is."

Memories flooded into his mind like a spring. Oh how he longed for his rainforest. To feel the drops of rain cascade down his scales. To hear the echo of bird calls carrying through the moist air….

Malcho was growing so sick of sand, he could hardly wait to fly to Agrabah, take his revenge, and fly back to his home. His true home…

To Malcho, it felt like he hadn't seen it in hundreds of years…and other times it felt longer than that…

Alisha stared at the serpent, whose gaze fell to the ground.

"…And your family?" She asked, then.

Malcho snapped out of his thoughts, turning to the harpy. "My what?" That last word in her question caught the serpent off guard. He wasn't sure if he heard it correctly or not.

"Your family," Alisha repeated. "What about them?"

Malcho's mouth fell open, and then slowly closed. He swallowed something that was thick and started to burn. An ache swept over his heart… "My family…" That word slipped off his tongue like a drop of rain, constricting him on the inside.

"It's not important." He told her, remembering how to speak again.

Alisha gave a tiny nod. That expression…Alisha had never seen him like that, but she knew it. And she knew the pain he must have felt on the inside…

Even the mouse stared at him, falling silent.

She asked a different question, hoping to move away from the last one. "So if you're from the rainforest, what are you doing in the desert? And why are you going to Agrabah?"

Malcho slowly looked at her, his head slightly turned to her direction. His mood seemed to lighten, to Alisha. "Now you are curious about that, yes?"

She gave a friendly smile and nodded.

"I suppose I should tell you, seeing that we are going there together." He knew she was going to ask sooner or later. He let out a deep breath through his nostrils. "I had a little…problem in Agrabah a while ago. It didn't end well — for _me_, I mean. Now I plan to go back there and correct it."

"What kind of problem?"

"A very complicated one," Malcho answered. "You see, I was there to correct an old one. I guess an old acquaintance of mine that lives there told his amigos some unflattering things about me, and then when I arrived there one problem led to another, and well…here I am."

Alisha stare widened a little at Malcho, as did the mouse's golden eyes.

Malcho said, "After all that, I doubt my reputation in Agrabah is anything but good."

Who knows how Aladdin and Iago will react seeing him yet again. Who knows how all of Agrabah will react…?

"…It sounds like they didn't even give you a chance." Alisha said after a short silence.

Malcho exclaimed, "Exactly!" Finally! Someone understood! "They didn't! They panicked the very moment they saw me!"

"Tell me about it…" He heard the sudden change in her voice. It shifted from her usual serene tranquility, to a melancholy frustration. It was surprising enough to make the serpent stare at her now.

Alisha knew _precisely_ where Malcho was coming from. She found herself unable to hold back her own emotions, as the sad frustration in her deepened. "I hate it when people judge you just because you look different. They'll treat you horribly…like you're some kind of freak."

Malcho had to pause. For a second he was surprised that Alisha was agreeing with him — but in that same second, Malcho realized it wasn't agreement. It was an understanding.

Something surfaced from inside him, then. Emotions from long ago bubbled from their sinking prison and swelled up inside the serpent until he could no longer be silent.

Malcho's eyes were to the horizon as he spoke. "…They isolate you without giving a second thought."

Alisha's eyes were to the side. "They laugh at you, careless of your pain."

"They will never stop until they make you feel completely —"

"Even after all that, they'll still make you feel —"

Both creatures were too preoccupied to hear what the other was saying, until one word — out of all the others — until one single word passed through their lips at the same time.

"— Alone."

Malcho and Alisha stopped when they heard that. And they looked directly at each other, a silence falling over them. The air felt still in that tiny oasis and the silence seemed to carry all around it.

The mouse-beast looked from one to the other, noticing a look that he had never seen before in their eyes.

Alisha and Malcho found themselves unable to turn away from each other as the moments cascaded by. They were surprised that that word came out of both their mouths. But there was more there than either of them could realize. So much more…

Malcho broke away. The first, as always… He quickly gathered his thoughts, clearing his throat as he did. "So, since we are asking questions, I am curious about something. How is it you know Spanish?" He didn't look at her as he asked this, of course.

"Oh," Alisha blinked, seeming to gather herself together also. She turned away. Moving a lock of her hair back, she answered. "Well, it was my first year with Zadesh, and we traveled to Spain as soon as we left Agrabah."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Zadesh hired a man to teach him Spanish so he could communicate with the customers. I gathered whatever I could understand. Like 'mucho gusto' and 'encantando'. And 'hola', I knew what that meant when you said it. That's pretty much it, aside from a sentence or two."

Then she smiled at him. Malcho happened to look at her as she did. "And I now know 'friend' thanks to you…amigo."

Malcho was glad the mouse jumped on her lap, grabbing her attention as a gleam shined in his eyes. The emotion that lied inside that gleam was a complicated one, because it did not feel like merely one emotion, but a combination of many. And Malcho could not name a single one of them.

_Ignore it. Let it pass._ He told himself.

"You know," Malcho quickly shook his head as Alisha looked back at him, stroking the beast's head. "He's going to need a name."

Malcho's brow furrowed. "You're not still insisting we keep this rodent, are you amiga?"

"Please?"

She blinked her green eyes at him, fluttering them. Alisha cradled the mouse in her wings like a baby. And the mouse — that damn mouse — fluttered his golden eyes at him like Alisha did.

With a defeated sigh (and the scales on his face a shade darker) Malcho rolled his eyes to the side. "…I guess the vermin _will _need a name."

Alisha cheered, hugging the damned beast as it brushed its head against hers affectionately.

_Caramba, what is the matter with me?_

"Malcho, why don't you name him?" The harpy suggested.

"Vermin," he said.

"What? No. Not that."

"Rodent, then?"

"No," Alisha shook her head. "Come on, Malcho. Think of something else."

With another sigh, he actually began to think about it. Looking at the rodent, who looked back, it suddenly came to him. You could practically see the light bulb turn on above his head.

"Jerky," Malcho said.

The rodent blinked. Alisha raised a brow at him in confusion, "Jerky?" she echoed. "Why that name?"

Chuckling, the serpent smiled, and locked eyes with the mouse-beast. "Because, if he steals my food one more time, that is _exactly _what he is going to be."


	7. Chapter 7: As the Arrow Flew

Yay! Chapter seven! Yay!

I've put a lot into this, so I hope you guys like it.

**Warning:** Violence and language. Not too bad though, gotta keep this rated T...

Enjoy

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******Disclaimer****: I do not own ANY of the original Aladdin characters, nor do I own the settings involved with them. I only own Alisha, Jerky, Zadesh, Sabin, and Brone.**

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**Chapter Seven**

As the Arrow Flew…

To their surprise (well, mostly to Malcho's) Jerky stayed. Even after he was horrified at his name.

Each night he'd curl up with Alisha, engulfed in her soft, warm feathers and gradually drift to sleep. And he did heed Malcho's warning and stopped stealing his food.

Instead, he ate what Alisha ate, and she was more than happy to share with him.

"You are going to spoil him, amiga." Malcho said once. It was early morning and he was full from his fresh kill as he watched Alisha share her food with Jerky. "Or make him fat. Maybe both."

Malcho gave a laugh at the glare Jerky had given him, and then went back to eating the piece of food Alisha handed to him. (Then as soon as Malcho turned his head Jerky flung it at him. It successfully hit and splattered the side of his face.) This resulted in a chase around the oasis between the serpent and the mouse.

Malcho cursed and threatened him in Spanish, while Jerky made faces and mocked him, angering him even more.

Alisha only sat there, shaking her head and sighing. "Oh brother, here we go again."

Eventually they stopped. (Eventually, anyway…)

The next day, Alisha was checking Malcho's bite mark. She unwrapped it and was surprised to see that it was halfway gone.

"How does it look?" Malcho asked her.

"Much better," she said.

Malcho pulled his wing away and inspected it himself. He was relieved that it was showing no signs of scarring.

"Gracias, mi amiga." He said to her. "It would not have healed as quickly if it were not for you."

Alisha smiled, her cheeks glowing the faint color of rose. "You're welcome."

It was mid-day. The sky was gradually darkening as shades of violet, orange, and garnet danced through the sky. Together they created wonderful swirls of one another, complimenting each other beautifully.

All three creatures began to feel the warm, sandy breeze dropping into a chill.

Malcho took Alisha's advice and decided to give his sprain a little more time to heal. Though he could not fly, he could move it around without hurting it more. He was glad. Though he still complained that he couldn't fly (which was expected from Malcho.)

"So what do you think we should do tomorrow?" Alisha asked. She laid her cloak on the ground, preparing it for when she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Jerky was in the tree, playing or chasing after whatever he could find. Like an energetic cat.

Malcho raised a brow at her. "What is there to do in a desert?"

"I have no idea." A smile of humor spread on her face. "That's why I asked you."

"Eager to get off this oasis, amiga?"

"You have no idea."

"Maybe we will think of something."

Malcho couldn't blame Alisha. He wanted to get away from the tiny patch of earth as much as she did. He was grateful that he found it when he hurt his wing, but now he was sick of it. Malcho couldn't wait to leave.

"I was think we could —" Alisha abruptly stopped mid-sentence. As she looked up, her eyes traced the horizon before her, and she found herself gazing.

"Alisha?" Malcho became confused by her sudden silence. "Amiga?"

The harpy stood and started for the sandy hill just beyond them. She looked back and told Malcho to follow her.

Puzzled, he slithered after her, wondering what caught the arpía's interest.

Jerky saw them and hurriedly scaled down the tree, scurrying after the two.

Alisha scaled up the hill, as she grew closer to the top her shadow grew longer behind her. And she stopped at the very top, feeling the light on her face.

Malcho and Jerky came up at both her sides. Still confused, he turned his head to her, "And we are up here because…?" He questioned.

The harpy looked back at him, motioning her head to the distance. "Look. And you'll see why."

Then she looked back to the distance.

Malcho and Jerky followed Alisha's gaze.

Before them, shining a deep and powerful orange — almost a fiery red — was the setting sun. Slowly it was descending beneath the miles of sand and hills that lied as far as their eyes could see. But it was as if it were falling only a few feet in front of them, glowing magnificently.

It gleamed in all their eyes, and they found themselves unable to turn away from it.

Malcho especially…

He gazed in wonder at the sun, mesmerized by it and its beauty.

"Isn't it beautiful?" He heard Alisha ask. She sounded so composed, so calm…

Malcho nodded even though he did not look at her. "Si…it is." In his baritone voice, he heard the serenity in it. He _never _heard his voice sound like that before…

Alisha looked up from the sun to the serpent beside her. "Malcho,"

He looked down to her; you could see the calmness in him by his steady action.

"Did you ever have sunsets like this when you lived in the rainforest?"

His jaw tightened. And slowly, his eyes adverted back to the horizon, a novel expression on his face. "I would not know." Malcho answered.

Alisha watched him, listening to the new change in his voice.

"…I never stopped and looked at one."

Malcho never cared for things such as this. He couldn't understand why someone would actually stop and gaze at something as the sun. It rose and fell every single day. To him, it seemed pointless...

Yet here he was now. Watching it set. And he couldn't look away from it.

"This is my first sunset..." He admitted.

Silently, Alisha stared at Malcho. Gradually, her eyes found their way back to the sun, as well.

Minutes went by. The sun, now a shade darker, was half way down. Darkness crept behind the three; tiny stars were beginning to shine through the sky.

"…Malcho, I'm curious about something." Alisha suddenly said, shattering the silence that lingered around them.

The serpent turned to the harpy.

"Why did you want me to stay that day when I was going to leave?" She asked. "Why did you stop me?"

Malcho was caught off guard by the question at first. Then he snickered a little at her question. "You would have been eaten alive out there." He answered. "A tiny arpía like you wouldn't have survived a day. You would've been a beast's snack. That is why."

Yet Alisha's eyes never left Malcho. Even when he turned from her, she held the gaze, like he was staring right back at her.

"…Or you were lonely." Alisha said.

He blinked, and he looked back at her. Now he was completely caught off guard. "Lonely?" Malcho repeated with skeptic.

She nodded.

Malcho was at a cross between suspicion and…confusion. "And what makes you say that?"

Alisha wrapped a wing around her other, like she was wrapping one of her hands around her arm. "Well, don't you think it would have been lonely recovering from a sprain in this oasis all by yourself?" She asked, curiously. "Maybe just a little?"

Her mind drifted back to when she and Malcho had both simultaneously said the word "alone." Maybe deep down, he felt he was. Malcho was just strong enough not to show it.

…Most of the time.

Malcho's eyes were wide at Alisha for a moment. Then they narrowed as he told her, "It would not have mattered to me." A twinge of irritation went through him. How dare this arpía make such assumptions? She knew nothing about him!

"I have been alone much longer than you can imagine, amiga." Malcho's eyes locked on to hers and his voice intensified as he spoke, shattering the tranquility that once rang in it. He put a wing to his chest as he went on. "And it has never bothered me once. Why, you ask? Because I stopped caring about it _years_ ago!"

His wing that was placed on his chest was now in the air, and still he went on. "I had everything I could ever want once — and I shared that joy alone. In the rainforest, I trusted only myself, I cared only for myself, and I fought only for myself. That may be hard for you to understand, but that was my life."

You had no one _but_ yourself in the rainforest. It was a way of life that made the great Malcho who he was today. Strong and powerful. He carried every battle there as a life lesson. Every cut, every bruise, they were a reminder that he survived and should be grateful! Grateful that he came out as the victor, grateful that he _lived! _But what could this arpia understand? She had a home waiting for her to return. And with someone there waiting... Alisha would go back to that desert-forsaken city, living her little life there like the rest of those oblivious humans that actually call that lump of sand and stone a home!

The poor thing! She seemed so desperate to fit in, no matter how pointless it seemed. She was like a lost runt of a lamb, a lost black lamb, trying to blend in with the other white lambs, unaware they wanted nothing to do with her. Alisha would gain nothing going back there! Why try to be like the herd when it was painfully obvious that you were not?

Malcho would've laughed. And she thought _he_ was lonely?

His eye level was at Alisha's, only a little higher, and she never broke away once. She stood her ground, with Jerky watching from behind her. She showed no anger or fear as he said all this.

Malcho's wings were back to his side. His stare at the arpía continuing. "So do you understand now, amiga? Loneliness is nothing to me."

Loneliness…was a custom to him now, and he numbed his heart to it easily! And once he did, the pain was gone. Just like that. As if it was never there from the beginning. And once it was gone, Malcho felt liberated. As if the heavy chains that were holding him down vanished, and he was free. He no longer wanted to try and fit in with the herd, unlike some.

There was yet another silence between them. The serpent was about to turn away, until —

"Then why am I still here, Malcho?" Alisha demanded.

Malcho's stare fell right back on her. Her boldness shined like the sun.

"I already answered —"

Alisha cut him off, knowing what he was about to say. "Is that really the only reason why? Or is there a different reason? If loneliness really doesn't matter to you, then why didn't you let me walk away that day?" He watched her put a wing to her chest as her stare on him deepened. "You _wanted _me to stay, didn't you?"

He was about to deny it. It was right there on the tip of his tongue, seconds away from his lips...yet he was silent. That last part of Alisha's sentence did not sound like an accusation, but it did not sound like a simple question, either. It was more like a cross between both. As if Alisha realized it the moment she asked the question. And now she wanted Malcho to realize it too.

Alisha's tone changed as his silence went on. It was a soft, like the hymn of bells. She shook her head as she told him, "And I don't believe that when you say you don't care." She said. "You don't just stop caring that easily, Malcho." Her green eyes brimmed with an emotion Malcho could not place. "You know, I think you're _scared_ to let someone in."

Malcho could not stop his eyes from rounding. Did she just accuse Malcho the Great of being scared? But Malcho did not get angry, shockingly...what she said began to sink in, and he could not help but remain silent.

_Scared...?_

"And why do you believe I am scared?" He meant for the demand to come out harsher, but his voice was an even baritone.

Alisha's boldness only seemed to intensify. "Because you're afraid of being alone all over again. That's why."

Malcho was a a loss to respond. He felt something against his chest, suddenly, and when he looked down, Alisha's wing was there. It rested on the very center of his chest…

Malcho looked back at her with question. And when he did, he gazed at that smile, and found no strength to turn away. As always...

"But you don't have to be scared anymore." Alisha told the mighty serpent. "You have me now."

Jerky leaped on her shoulder and squeaked at Malcho, a smile spreading on his whiskered face.

Alisha's laugh was tiny and quick, and she looked back at Malcho. "And you have Jerky, too." She tilted her head at him a little, her smile never falling. "I won't leave you all alone. I promise."

Malcho was lost for words. He could feel the heat from Alisha's wing brimming in his chest. He never felt such a powerful warmth before…he just wasn't sure if it was from her wing, or if it was from his own chest…

"...I want to know something, Alisha." Malcho said, after a pause. He felt her wing leave his chest, and saw her eyes look at him with question. Malcho did not know how to start it at first. It took one shape after another, forming on his tongue before going back and forming again. At last, it took one final shape. He recited it in his head, making sure he didn't sound like a fool when he gave it a voice. It sounded right...might as well.

Malcho asked her probably the most dire thing he wanted to know. Something he had been wanting to ask her for a while now. "Why?" He asked. "I gave you a choice. You did not have to stay with me if you didn't want to. It was of your own free will...why did you?"

The harpy was silent now. And not only were Malcho's eyes on her, but Jerky's as well. She did not know what to say. Now that she thought about it, Alisha had no idea why she stayed, really.

She knew Malcho was right, she could've left if she wanted. He didn't order her to stay. It was of her own free will...

"I'm not sure why." Alisha answered him, finally, her gaze low. She still felt Malcho watch her. Then she began something else, looking deeply into herself than into her words. "...I guess I stayed because...well, I..." Alisha met his gaze at last, coming up with the only answer she could find. "I stayed because...I feel safe with you, Malcho."

He pulled back a little, his eyes rounding again at her. She...Alisha felt..._what?_

"You...you feel _safe_ with me?" The stunned serpent repeated. The word 'safe' rolled and slid off his tongue like a due drop.

Alisha nodded. "I guess it was because you saved me. No one has ever done something like that for me...something as selfless as what you did. That's why I think you're kind. I mean, we look like monsters, but that doesn't mean we _are_, right?"

He was as still as stone. _Oh, if only she knew…_

If Alisha knew who Malcho really, truly was, she would take back every word she just said and regret ever saying them… Of course Alisha wasn't a monster...but Malcho was. He was more of a monster than she could ever compromise...

He knew there would only be one option to do once he took her to Agrabah. He would have to leave her. Leave her with the image of Malcho as someone kind and noble…everything he was not.

The thought stabbed deeply into Malcho, and he cringed on the inside.

He knew the whole city of Agrabah would be alerted as soon as Malcho accomplished his goal. But he would be long gone by then. And he would leave Alisha behind, wondering, along with all the rest of the herd, what had happened to Iago and Aladdin.

And Malcho wouldn't look back…

_Maybe it is for the best._ He thought. _Alisha will be reunited with her Madre and I will stop having these strange, blasted emotions._

Yes…it would all be for the best.

But if that was the best, then why did the thought pain him so...?

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The night was silent.

Absolutely silent, as Malcho, Alisha and Jerky slept.

_WAKE UP!_ His jungle instincts ordered suddenly. Malcho's eyes burst open in an instant and immediately scanned his surroundings. He lifted his head up from his coils as he searched the area.

Something felt different. Malcho couldn't shake the feeling of suspicion. He glanced at Alisha and Jerky, they were fast asleep.

_Extrano… _he thought. _Something does not feel right…_

Indeed, something did not feel right at all. There was an eeriness that drifted through the still air, and the silence was becoming overwhelming.

_It has never been this quiet in the desert. Not once…_

It all seemed to happen in a heartbeat.

Quicker than taking in a breath of air, Malcho's thoughts shattered as he felt something cold wrap around his chest, binding both his wings to his side. In that same instance, he was thrust backwards, colliding into the sturdy tree behind him with a thundering _BOOM!_

Malcho fought back, but the cold metal around him grew tighter, pinning him to the tree.

"Malcho?"

He heard Alisha's voice. When he looked, he saw the confusion and alarm on her and Jerky's faces as they saw him chained to the tree.

"Alisha — run!" He yelled.

Yet she didn't have a chance.

Alisha, startled by a noise behind her, followed it, only to see something flung at her. The harpy screamed, and the giant net fell over her, bringing her down. She shielded little Jerky as she collapsed on her side.

When she looked up with fearful eyes, she saw two hooded figures standing over her. Alisha felt Jerky's body tense and she heard him growl at them, like a loyal dog protecting his master.

A hiss fell out of Malcho, and he whipped his tail at the two standing over her.

One of them stumbled backwards as his tail came at them. The hooded figure shielded himself with an arm and let out a quick cry of fear.

_Ssshk!_

An unbearable, splitting pain went through Malcho's tail. An intense cry came out of him, nearly echoing throughout the whole desert. Wincing, he saw the blade of a sword pierced into his tail, bright blood cascading down the wound.

Holding the handle of that sword was another hooded figure, standing over his tail.

_Three?!_

Malcho felt another tight shift in the chains, and two other hooded figures slowly crept out from the darkness behind him. In the gloved hands were the long chains that binded him.

_No…_five_…_

With another hiss, he struggled again, but the two figures pulled harder. And **damn** them they were both strong! Malcho could see by their size, they were much more built than the other three.

"We better keep a good grip on this one." One of his restrainers said in a grunt.

"You got that right." The other said. "This one's a fighter."

"What do you think we should do with him, sir?"

The basterd who stabbed Malcho's tail spoke up, then. "I'm not sure." He said. He dug his sword in deeper into his tail, unsuring it stayed there. Malcho barred his fangs together, swallowing the pain. "We weren't expecting a beast like this one."

He glared at him, darkly. _So this gringo is their leader._

The leader then turned to the cowardly, hooded man who stumbled backwards. He was still on the ground, trembling, like a scared animal, at Malcho's tail. It was only a foot away from him. If he wasn't stabbed, Malcho probably would have thrown him half way across the desert.

"Stand up." He ordered. And the man obeyed, scrambling back to his feet.

Trapped under the net, Alisha whispered, "Malcho…" Her heart was pounding in her ears as it hammered against her rib cage, feeling as if it were about to burst out of her chest.

She was utterly terrified. Who were these people? And what did they want? Alisha could feel herself shaking.

Next to her, Jerky's sharp teeth broke through every knot in the net. He had escaped from traps like these before — and he knew he had to help Malcho and Alisha!

She looked down to him, and a little smile of hope came to her. _All right, Jerky!_

Jerky jumped on her shoulder and Alisha ran through the large tear he had made for their escape. But it was with no avail. One of the figures grabbed her by her wing and yanked her back. Alisha gasped at the sudden force and tried to pull away, but his grip didn't loosen.

"My, my, my," Alisha looked up and saw the leader standing before her. He seemed to be looking at her. "He wasn't joking when he told me you looked human at first glance." The man sounded astounded.

_He…?_

The hooded man reached a hand out to her, but instantly pulled it back when Jerky took a snap at him, protecting Alisha.

"What a cute little…pet you have."

Jerky threatened him with a growl._ Try it again and I'll give you cute! _

From the side, Malcho watched him intensely, watching every move he made around Alisha.

"You know," the leader said, moving his head a little closer to her, "we've never hunted a harpy before…but I have to say…"

He reached a hand out to Alisha again, and once again Jerky snapped at him. But before he could bite him, the leader smacked the tiny beast to the side with his hand.

Alisha gasped, "Jerky —" Then her voice froze when she felt the hooded man caress her cheek. Her whole body turned to stone at his touch. She swallowed a fat lump in her throat, trying not to quiver.

He whispered only a few inches in front of her face. Alisha could feel his breath on her skin. "You are quite attractive …" In a blink, that gentle caress changed, and he clamped that same hand around Alisha's jaw in a tight grip. She tried to move away but he didn't let go.

"…For a monster, you are attractive."

A sudden burst of rage lit like a match inside of Malcho, and he hissed with wrath. "Get your filthy hands off of her, gringo!"

All heads shot at him.

The leader whispered in astonishment. "So it can speak..." He released Alisha's jaw and started towards Malcho. "You just got a lot more interesting."

The man stopped directly in front of the serpent, putting a hand on his side as he seemed to be inspecting him. Malcho tried to see his face, but his hood casted too dark a shadow.

"…What do you think, boys?" He asked them after a moment. "What should we do with this one?"

"Eat' im!" One burst out.

"Skin him!" Another suggested.

Malcho's heart beat deepened…

As did Alisha's…

"You know, I know someone who would gladly take this monster's hide." The leader told the others _and _to Malcho. "The bigger the prize, the bigger the price, he says. This guy would probably get us a barrel or two of gold."

"Not to mention that sack of gold that red-head promised us!" The man restraining Alisha said.

Her eyes shot wide.

_Zadesh…!_

"Yes," the leader mumbled. "We can't forget our…customer, now can we?"

Malcho's eyes narrowed at him, turning into a venomous glare.

The leader laughed at him. As if his glare humored him in some way. "Look at you. So big, so strong…you're nothing more but an overgrown garden snake!"

A dark hiss came out of him. Malcho lunged at the human, ready to bite his damn head off! But the man ducked at the precise moment and avoided the attack. Malcho only bit air.

He laughed at the snake yet again. "A garden snake," he repeated. "A _vicious_, overgrown garden snake — but a garden snake just the same."

With a turn, the leader started towards the two men by Alisha. "Daniel," he called to one of them. It was the cowardly figure that nodded. "Take care of this one."

"Si-sir?" He sounded nervous.

"I think five of your arrows will do it. The only one we need alive is the harpy. It would be a pain dragging this snake back alive, too. He'll be no trouble to us dead."

Malcho tried to hide as much of his fear as he could, yet a quivering breath came out of him. He tried once again to break free of the chains, but the two men never let him budge. He tried his tail and pain shot up it.

_Damn it all!_

It wasn't long until Daniel stood between the two bulk men, and in his hands — _pointed directly at Malcho — _was an arrow, waiting to be released by both the bow string and the man holding it back.

Malcho gazed at the razor-sharp metal tip. His nightmare came back to him, Aladdin's words haunting his mind.

_You're powerless._

But this was no nightmare. No, this was very much real. And Malcho was trapped, his fate slipping from his grasp…!

_Oh mi dios, por favor, wake me up! Wake me up!_

Minutes ticked by. The arrow never flew at him. It stayed in the figure's grasp — and…were his hands _shaking?_

"Hurry it up, Daniel!" One of the bulk men yelled.

"We don't have all night." The other reminded him, irritatedly.

Daniel's voice was high, as if he was trying to calm himself down. "I'm trying!"

Alisha watched in apprehension, thankful that he didn't let go of the arrow. But it was only a matter of time…that was what she feared the most. What would happen when he did? Alisha's eyes drifted right to Malcho, and she could see his fear the longer he gazed at the arrow.

_Malcho…!_

She heard the leader sigh. Annoyance was all she could read in his tone. "Not again…"

Anger filled every step he took towards him. With a shove, he pushed Daniel behind him. "This is the last time I kill a monster for you."

Daniel took a shy and shameful step away with his bow and arrow in hand. He handed them to his leader not a moment later, along with his other arrows that were in a black leather quiver strapped around his back.

If Malcho wasn't scared before, he was now. No. He wasn't scared. He was far past that point. He was petrified. Oh, what Thundra wouldn't give to see this right now…

Malcho — Malcho the Great, Malcho the Mighty — binded, afraid, and most of all…absolutely powerless.

His eyes shut. He was too afraid to see the reality around him.

Alisha's heart was beating hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles an hour. Her blood felt cold with every pump of her racing chest. Her round eyes were only on Malcho.

_Come on, Malcho — fight! Fight back!_ She wanted to scream, but her voice was nowhere to be found. He wasn't — he couldn't be — giving up! He was Malcho. He would never…he wouldn't give up…not like this…!

And when Alisha turned back to look at the leader in that second, she watched his fingers release the wooden end of the arrow, the bow string thrusting it forward…

Something awoke inside her then, something novel and extraordinary. In a single powerful thrust of her wings, Alisha shoved her restrainer off of her. He fell backwards, crashing on the ground. It was so strong she had to catch herself from falling, too. And she _ran _towards Malcho, moving faster than she dared.

Her heart was so loud she could hear every single beat. Yet, in the beat's echo, she heard her own voice as clear as thunder as she cried out to him.

"Malcho!"

His eyes shot open the moment he heard her voice. And the very first things they saw and looked into were her eyes. "Alisha?" He whispered. But something was not right with her. Her eyes were wide and rounded than they ever were before, and the breath that came out of her quivered. And as Malcho fully looked at Alisha, he saw her white wings were extended straight out.

Then he looked down to his chest, but what he expected to see wasn't there.

His eyes flashed back to Alisha. His mouth fell open but no sound came out, only air.

He watched Alisha stumble forward, and as she did, Malcho's eyes widened. He gasped. It was there! Directly in her back, between her shoulders, was the arrow!

Her blood began to stain her shirt.

Alisha caught herself, resting against Malcho's chest. She could feel the blood trickle down her back. She bit her lip at the pain. She wasn't sure what else the arrow struck inside her, but it _hurt. _It hurt worse than any physical pain she had ever felt before.

Malcho gazed at her in horror. "Alisha, what have you done?!" His frantic voice was a gasp. Fear began to crawl up his spine, but it was a different fear this time. He could not place this one.

Alisha looked up at him, weakly. The pain traveled half way through her body; she began to feel her feet quake, but she did not let herself fall.

Alisha then saw the shock, confusion, and the worry in the serpent's bright-colored eyes. _Those eyes…_she found herself thinking. _Those eyes…always so full of emotion…_

Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, and her vision began to blur.

"Alisha!" Malcho said her name in the same tone as before, but his fear was growing more and more.

Alisha struggled to open her mouth and form the words. At first, all that came out was air. It took a few moments, but she finally found her voice. It was a hushed whisper, and she forced every word out of her mouth.

"…You're…you're s-stronger than…this…"

Malcho blinked at her. The words sunk in quickly, yet his rounded gaze never left her.

"…You're stronger than this, Malcho." Alisha said, fully. It was strained, but it was clear. Then she forced another word out of her mouth. It wouldn't shape at first, yet she whispered it as clearly as she possible could. "F…fight…!"

Malcho felt a stinging behind his eyes but he ignored it. "Alisha…" He whispered again. Her name was all he could say.

She put on a smile as best as she could. Her vision clouded, her eyes grew heavier, and slowly…they began to close.

"Alisha?" Malcho watched her eyes shut and panic swept inside him. He said her name louder and louder. "Alisha. Alisha! Alisha!"

On the ground, his injured foot screaming, Jerky looked up. He saw Alisha and Malcho, and he heard him shouting her name over and over again. His golden eyes widened as he saw the arrow in her back. _Alisha…!_

Finally, the harpy's legs gave in. And Alisha fell backwards, her brown hair falling in the air around her.

Just like with Alisha, something suddenly snapped awake inside of Malcho.

He cried out in a panicked, _terrified_ voice as she fell backwards. Malcho practically screamed it. "_NO!_" And suddenly his strength seemed to have doubled to an unmatchable level. He wasn't sure how he did it, or where this strength came from, but what he did frightened and shocked all five of the hooded men.

_Malcho broke through the chains._ With the deafening sounds of shattering metal, snapping wood, and yowls of pain from the two men, the mighty serpent freed himself from his bindings. And he caught Alisha, sweeping a wing under her before she touched the ground.

Jerky watched in amazement at Malcho, his tiny mouth falling into an O. _Wow…I knew he was strong, but wow, I didn't know Malcho was _that _strong!_

"Alisha!" Malcho cried out to her as loud as he could. "Alisha! Mi amiga! Amiga?!"

There was no response from her. Her body was limp. Malcho felt the wood of the arrow in her back through his feathers.

Jerky's worry grew at her silence. _Alisha…?_

Malcho's jaw clenched together, his body shaking. In a snap, his eyes became a glare, targeted at _them._

Chaos was all that followed.

All at once they came at him. But Malcho fought back, his rage and animal instincts guiding him, fueling every whip of his tail, every lung from his fangs, and every smack from his wing. None of them had a chance to fight him off, no matter what weapon they used, or how much they tried to fight back. Three of them were dead in minutes. But Malcho only wanted _one._

Panting, he stood before Malcho. He pointed his sword at him. It dripped a crescent red of the serpent's blood. He knew he needed a strong weapon to fight off a monster like this, and the only closest one was his sword that was lodged in the beast's tail. He rushed for it as soon as the battle began.

His hood was finally off. Under sweat and dirt from the fight was dark skin, short, black hair, and dark eyes.

Malcho glared at the leader. This was the gringo he wanted — the one who shot her!

Jerky took shelter behind the broken tree and watched in apprehension. _Get him, Malcho! _He cheered.

The monster hunter stared his prey down. Still in his wing, practically cradled in it, was his "customer's" harpy. She looked dead as a door nail, but he didn't care anymore. That red-headed basterd can drop dead — all he wanted was the serpent dead! His hide would give him more gold than that interfering harpy ever could!

"You're head is mine!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, and he charged at the snake.

Malcho shielded Alisha with his other wing as the leader grew closer, his venomous glare deepening.

With a thrust, that steel weapon came at him, but Malcho deflected it with his tail. More blood seeped down the blade as Malcho began to coil his tail around the weapon. He began to wrap his tail around the hunter's wrist.

With a grunt, he tried to pull himself free, but Malcho wasn't letting him go. He clenched his teeth together and met the snake's glare with his own.

Through his glare, a dark smile came to Malcho. Now he was close enough…

Just like the first time, Malcho lunged at the man, flashing those deadly daggers for fangs at him. And just like the first time, the hunter tried to dodge.

_Damn —_

Malcho was too fast this time.

He clamped those jaws down on him. The taste of blood swam over his taste buds, and with a toss, sent the hunter flying in the air.

_Splash! _The hunter crashed into the pool. Water went into his mouth and up his nostrils. He coughed, and bubbles came up. He felt the wind leave his body, and when he looked up, his eyes widened in horror as he saw a giant, purple tail come his way.

To Malcho, it was like a human crushing an insect. Drops of water fell like rain when his tail crashed down on the insect. The once clear, crystal blue water now began to turn into a deep crescent as the gringo's blood flowed through it.

All was quiet again, except for the sound of Malcho catching his breath. He felt his adrenaline begin to go down, but his heart did not. His black hair fell around his face as he looked down to Alisha, still cradled safely in his wing.

As he pulled his wet and injured tail back, Malcho's tongue flickered out of his mouth. His eyes went wide yet again and he spun around with a threatening hiss.

There was one more still alive. He knew by the trembling it was the coward, Daniel. And clasped in both his hands was a dagger.

Malcho glared at him. Daniel must not have fought when his comrades did, he must have hid somewhere until it all ended.

_Worthless coward…_

Daniel charged at him with a cry, but was immediately silenced when Malcho smacked him away with a wing. He collided into the broken tree and cried out again, only in pain. The dagger fell out of his grasp, falling into the dirt blade-first.

Malcho watched him as he cradled his right shoulder and ran away, like a cowardly insect slipping into the darkness.

His attention went right back to Alisha, his burning glare falling into two bright green and yellow orbs of worry.

Jerky limped up to his side, looking up with as much fret in his eyes as there were in Malcho's.

She looked like a sleeping doll. Like a glass, sleeping doll…

Malcho caressed her cheek with his wing, hoping his touch would wake her up, like the last time. "Alisha." How many times had he tried to wake her? How many times had he said her name in hopes she would open her eyes and smile at him?

…That was all he wanted…to see Alisha's smile again…

The stinging came back in his eyes when she didn't respond to his caress, and a pain shot through the very center of his chest. "Alisha, look at me…look at me!" His tone grew louder in a second.

No, no…she couldn't be…she couldn't…!

"Alisha — wake up! Por favor, mi amiga! Wake up! Wake up!"

Malcho's voice cracked as the stinging went down his throat. He swallowed it down. He barred his fangs together, his body shaking once again as he held her closer to his chest, embracing her tiny body. His eyes clenched shut.

Jerky watched with sad, golden eyes. He hoped along with Malcho, but he wasn't strong enough to stop the tears welling up in his eyes.

Malcho looked down at her, gently cradling her face in his wing. A pain ripped through the core of his chest, as if a powerful force was trying to tear it open. He gazed at her face, and his vision became cloudy.

"…You promised, Alisha…" He said quietly, until his pain gave way into his voice. "You promised you would not leave me all alone!" Malcho yelled, unable to hold it back another second.

His vision clouded more. When he wiped his eyes, he saw something he couldn't believe. Astonished, he touched his face, and there were more. He was almost a stream of them.

"I'm…" Malcho couldn't believe it. "I'm…crying…!"

After so many years…he can still cry…! So it was still possible…

Slowly, he tilted his head to the moonless sky, the tears streaming and falling one after another like rain.

Two fell on Alisha's cheek and they slipped down her neck.

Every memory of her came to Malcho, one after another...

_Malcho!_

_I think your scales are lovely._

_I want to help you…_

_What you did was very brave…and, also, very kind._

_Amigo…_

Malcho clenched his eyes shut tightly. Why? Why? Why did Alisha do it? Why did she throw herself between Malcho and the arrow? It was meant for him — _HIM!_ His life couldn't have meant that much to her. Not so much that she would actually —

_I really like you, Malcho._

His body froze. Was that why? Because she saw him as her friend? Someone she could rely on, trust in, believe in…?

Anger pierced through Malcho's pain, but it was not towards Alisha. Not even at the cloaked men.

…But at _himself._

"What kind of an amigo am I…?" Malcho demanded to the sky, his pained and angry voice echoing in the night. "What kind of an amigo am I if I cannot even protect one little arpía?"

Malcho could no longer deny it from himself. He cared about Alisha. He cared about Alisha much more than he thought. She listened to him, she comforted him, she understood and connected with him, she did so much for him…only to end up with an arrow in her back. An arrow that was not even meant for her… Malcho cursed himself for realizing it now and not before.

He gazed back down to her with wet eyes. More and more memories poured into his mind. And every single one compelled him. Maybe…no, not maybe…

"There _has _to be a chance for her."

Gently, without letting another precious second slip by, Malcho used his tail to put Alisha on his back. He was careful not to touch the arrow as he placed her on her stomach on a spot between his wings. He shifted his body so she wouldn't slip off.

"Jerky," Malcho looked down to the mouse, seeing tears in his golden eyes. He extended a wing in front of him. "I am going to need you, Jerky. Can I rely on you?"

Jerky wiped away his tears, and with his front paw lifting to his head, saluted to Malcho like a soldier accepting his mission. Limping, he scampered up his wing, stopping by unconscious Alisha.

"Make sure she does not fall off."

The mouse-creature blinked, and then squeaked in surprise as Malcho flapped his wings, thrusting them in the sky. Next thing he knew, they were air born. Jerky hung on to Alisha's shirt — not because she was about to fall off, but because _he_ was.

_Is he crazy?! _Jerky screamed mentally. _His sprain still isn't healed yet!_

Not a second after Jerky thought that, Malcho's sprain acted up.

He winced, feeling the pain go up his wing. _Caramba! Not now!_

_You're stronger than this._

Malcho blinked at the echo of her words. And that same force that awoke in him before surged through him again. He narrowed his eyes and shook off the pain, pretending it wasn't there.

Malcho flew higher into the dark night.

"Hang on." He told Jerky as he soared in the air like a falcon. And he _hoped _Alisha heard him, too.

He had to save her, while there was still time…

No matter what it took, Malcho was going to save his amiga!

* * *

_Extrano = odd_

Oh, cliff-hanger!

Like I said, I've put a lot of thought and heart into this chapter. But I did try not to over due it too much, because I didn't want you guys to read it and be like, "Gosh, Rubens...take a pill!"

Two songs helped A LOT as I wrote this capter. Those songs, in case you're curious, are:

"I Was Wrong" by Sleeperstar, and

"Dear Agony" by Breaking Benjamin.

R&R


	8. Chapter 8: New People

**Hey, guys! Look, a new chapter! Hooray! Sorry that it took me so long to post one, but I had a lot of things to take care of. But hopefully I'll be able to post more soon.**

**Special Thanks: I want to thank everyone who reviewed my chapters. Thank you all so much! You guys have no idea how much you're encouraging me to keep going. So, thank you, once again.**

**Enjoy, and don't forget, R&R.**

* * *

**Disclaimer****: I do not own ANY of the original Aladdin characters, nor do I own the settings involved with them. I only own Alisha, Jerky, Zadesh, Sabin, Brone, and** **Daniel.**

**Chapter Eight**

New People

_200…300…310…_

Zadesh counted each piece of gold one at a time. He sat in his chair, his cane resting against its side and his black coat hanging on the back of it. Before him on the wooden table was a shimmering pile of gold — two in fact. He set what was counted to the right, and what was not yet counted to the left.

In his right hand was a quill pen, ready to write on the tan sheet of paper as he neared the end of his counting.

Today had been a long day. These people in this village could _not _get enough of his elixir. Every single day since he arrived, someone was always bothering Zadesh for another bottle, practically begging him.

How could he deny? Even when he raised the price, they still came flocking for it like birds.

Then, **of course**, there were the…_other _customers. The people who wanted to see Alisha again stopped by just as much as the customers who wanted the elixir. It plucked and stabbed Zadesh's pride to tell them his harpy was gone (for the time being, anyway.) He offered them the elixir, but they turned him down, telling him they'd rather see his She-Beast. And Zadesh watched as they left with their gold, feeling his injured pride begin to simmer.

His jaw tightened just remembering it…

He tossed the last piece of gold to the pile to the right. The left side was now completely barren. "Three twenty-five." Zadesh repeated as he dipped the tip of the quill pen in ink and scribbled it down. Above that number were many others of different ranges. Mostly between two hundred to three hundred, or something like that.

His black eyes looked to yesterday's total, then to the day before that. He set the pen down and, lifting his hat, ran his fingers through his orange hair. He sighed heavily, messaging his temples.

"That's less than what I made yesterday."

With Alisha gone, Zadesh had no other option but to double the price of his elixirs. His customers were irritated, but he was extraordinarily grateful that some came back for another bottle. But "some" was not enough. He wanted _all _of them to come back!

_Now, now, calm down. _Zadesh told himself, hoping to ease his exhaustion. _It's only a matter of time. The hunters will bring her back before you know it. You'll see. You just have to be patient._

Pushed off to the side of the table was his glass filled half way with red wine. Zadesh took it with a steady grip in his hands and took a sip. It quenched his thirst as the sweet taste danced across his tongue. He absorbed that taste and leaned back in his chair, setting his hat on the table in front of him.

"I am tired of being patient." He mused with his eyes closed. Zadesh began to gently move his hand around in a circular motion. The wine followed, helplessly spinning around the round form of the wine glass.

This was one of the things Zadesh always did in order to calm his raging nerves. A nice, fresh glass of wine, his gold in front of him, and, most of all, peace and —

"Where is he?!"

…Quiet…

Zadesh sat like a stone. His brow furrowed into a glare as he heard an annoying racket from the outside of his tent. So much for relaxation…

"Where is he?" Zadesh heard the yelling voice demand once again. He was unaware of how close it was until it sounded as though it was right in front of his tent.

Outside were Sabin and Brone. He heard their voices. "Boss doesn't want to be disturbed now."

"As if I care!" In a heartbeat, that angry voice was in his tent, smacking the opening as he barged in and yelled, "you!"

The only movement Zadesh made was crossing a leg over the other. He rolled his eyes. Oh joy, an angry customer. Why not? As if he wasn't exhausted enough already. Zadesh's tone was as flat as his tolerance. "I'm sorry, but no refunds. If my product did not satisfy you, then, by all means, throw it out."

The person's voice grew fiercer. "I'm not one of your customers!"

"Then get out. I have no business with you."

The person yelled again. "Oh, yes you do!"

Sighing, Zadesh shook his head and rubbed a brow. _Oh, for the love of… _"What do you want?" He asked, since clearly this person wasn't going to leave. He had a feeling this day wouldn't rest until it gave him a migraine.

"I came to get what you owe me."

"What I owe you…?" It struck Zadesh, then. Like a bolt of lightning hitting the tallest branch of a tree. He set his wine glass on the table, along with his hat, and practically leaped out of chair. He spun around to face the person behind him.

He was expecting to see the leader who he had spoken to that night — which was no more than a week ago. But instead he was looking at a new face. This man's skin was light with a little tan on his face, yet it was smeared with dirt, mixed with the sweat on his brow and cheeks. His dark-gold hair was a mess as it came down to the end of his neck, and hiding in it was a red bandanna that was covered by his greasy bangs.

And this man could only be a boy, undoubtedly in his late twenties.

He was covered by an ugly, tarnished cloak. Its color was a vile green that reminded Zadesh of something a sick leper would cough up.

Zadesh was anything but impressed.

He saw Sabin and Brone standing in the opening of the tent behind him. He assured them it was all right and told them to get back to whatever they were doing. They closed it as they left.

Zadesh couldn't hide his excitement. Finally! Good things truly do come to those who wait!

"I'm glad to see that you're back." He told the ragged hunter with a smile. He noticed that his position was odd as he stood; he seemed to be slouching. But he ignored it when he noticed something else…something that didn't seem right.

He looked around. His smile faltered a little. "Are, uh, the others…outside?"

Yet the boy did not return the smile. He heaved deep breaths in and out of his flaring nostrils, giving Zadesh a dark glower. His eyes were like a stormy, blue sea. "No." He answered.

"Oh…well, where are they, then?"

The hunter bit his lip. "They're dead." He sounded angry and horrified as he spoke. "All of them. I was the only one who made it out alive."

Now Zadesh's smile was gone. He looked at the boy with shock and confusion, but it was not because of the information he received. "What about my harpy?" He demanded. "Did you manage to get her?"

"Your harpy?" The boy echoed, incredulously. He heaved a breathless laugh. "Your harpy…" and suddenly the ferocity in his voice returned as he bellowed, "Your harpy is the whole reason the others are dead!"

Zadesh was taken aback, his eyes widening a little. "What do you mean she's the reason?" He asked. "Alisha wouldn't harm the tiniest fly much less kill four monster hunters."

He watched the hunter shake his head. "It doesn't matter. Just pay me."

Zadesh was about to protest when suddenly the hunter cringed. He fell to a knee and cradled his right shoulder, pain filled on his face. He cursed with clenched teeth, "Damn it all, my shoulder…!"

Zadesh, coldly, rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What's the matter now?"

"I think it's broken."

Agitatedly, he sighed, "oh, dear. Here, stand up and let me see."

Shakily, the hunter got to his feet. Zadesh pulled the chair out of his way as he leaned against the table. He removed his cloak, tossing the vile, wretched thing to the side (he made a face at the smudge it left on one of his hands and rubbed it off on his pants) then he pulled back his dark-colored vest.

Zadesh's stomach flipped. He had to clamp a hand over his mouth so nothing would come out of it. But that didn't stop the short gagging noise he made as he shot his head away in the other direction.

"What? What is it?" The young hunter asked, worriedly.

Zadesh swallowed. "…It's not broken." He told him. He tried to look at the oddly shaped shoulder once more, but he turned away again not a second later. The image burned itself into his eyes. Ugh, he could see the bone under the skin!

Looking at it not only made him sick, but also made Zadesh cringe. How could Alisha — little helpless and pathetic Alisha — do something like this? Did she lose her mind out there on her own? He knew she was a monster, but he never believed she would finally start acting like one. It made a small chill go up his spine. If she really was beginning to become violent, then that would be an even more difficult problem for Zadesh.

"So what's wrong?!"

"It's dislocated!" He told him. Zadesh, somehow, found the stomach to look at the hunter's shoulder. He shook his head and asked, "Did my harpy _really _do this to you?"

The boy answered. "No, no she didn't." He winced as he growled, "But, like I said, she's the whole reason this happened."

He hid his low chuckle. _I knew it! _Zadesh thought, smiling humorously. _And here I thought Alisha found a raw nerve. Ha!_

"So if it wasn't her, then what was it?" He asked the young hunter, intrigued.

Slowly, the hunter shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Zadesh snickered. "Keep in mind I wanted you to find a harpy. Nothing is strange to me anymore."

The hunter ran his left hand through his mess of hair, and he shook his head again, but slower. The breath he let out quivered, like the pulse of a bow string. "_Never _in my entire life have I ever seen a monster like this one. Never! It was with your harpy. We chained it, and for a few minutes we had everything under control. Next thing I knew, it broke free, and they were dead! All of them. I was lucky enough to run away while I still had a chance."

Zadesh raised a brow. _Huh, seems Alisha's made a friend. _"What did this monster look like?"

The boy spun around, "A massive snake!" He exclaimed.

It made Zadesh's brow go up in surprise. He stared at him for a moment, "A massive snake?" He repeated. When the young hunter nodded, Zadesh clicked his tongue. He reached over, grabbing his glass of wine. He took a deep chug. He was going to need a lot of alcohol for this…

Zadesh swallowed the wine, and then nodded at the boy. "All right, go on."

He continued. "This thing was probably forty five — maybe _fifty _feet! With wings, giant, black wings! And who knows how long those were!"

Bluntly, Zadesh met the hunter's eyes. At first, he thought the boy was simply losing his mind, that maybe he was just a blithering lunatic suffering from some sort of mental disease that would surely have a long and complicated name. But he studied the expression on his face. Zadesh saw the shock, the startle, and the disbelief that probably made up only a splinter of half the other emotions inside him. It was like looking into a mirror of the past.

He remembered those startling moments when all those emotions swam on _his _face.

Zadesh knew that if he had told anyone that he saw, what seemed like, a young girl with wings and taloned feet, he would have received the same look he was giving the hunter.

The boy ran his hand through his greasy mess of hair again. "I knew you would look at me like that." Then he laughed, almost in astonishment at his own stupidity. He turned and gave Zadesh his back, gently leaning on the table with his head low.

"You must think I'm mad. I can't blame you, I guess." He laughed again. "I would think I was mad, too."

There was a silence that lasted between them for only a few short moments.

"…I don't think you're 'mad'." Zadesh clarified. "But I never said I wouldn't look at you like you were."

He heard the hunter moan at his pain, and he rolled his eyes again. "Here, let me pop that back in place."

"Is it going to hurt?"

"Let's see…you remember how much it hurt when your arm popped out of socket?"

"Yes…"

"Well, imagine that pain — but in reverse."

"…So it _is _going to hurt, I'm assuming?"

"You got it."

He grieved a sigh. The hunter growled as he rubbed his sweaty brow and pulled his dirty bangs back. "This wouldn't have happened if that stupid harpy of yours hadn't gotten in the way of the arrow."

Behind him, Zadesh became a statue. His eyes slowly rounded as his blood grew cold like ice. As what the hunter said settled in his brain, one of his eyes twitched. The ice began to melt, and it started to bubble…

"…Pardon?" He asked, stiffly. He had to hear that again — just to be certain he heard him correctly the first time. Zadesh extended his right arm and grabbed his cane…

The hunter was completely oblivious to the situation that was going to take place. "I said: this wouldn't have happened if that harpy of yours hadn't gotten in the way —"

That was all Zadesh needed to hear.

It all happened so fast the hunter almost didn't realize what was happening. He felt a fierce yank, and then next thing he knew, he was crying out in pain.

Zadesh's golden coins fell to the ground all at once, but the sound they made wasn't nearly enough as the loud cry the hunter gave. His back was pinned to the table, the end of a cane pushing him down on his dislocated arm, sending immense pain through him. And as he looked into Zadesh's eyes, he could have sworn they were the eyes of a wild animal.

Anger flowed into Zadesh's cane from his hand as he held it with an unbreakable grip in his right hand. His teeth were clenched together, and his voice was a snarl. "What do you mean she got in the way?! What arrow?!"

He clasped his cane with both hands and pressed it deeper into his shoulder. The young hunter cried louder, begging Zadesh to stop.

"I'll stop when you answer me!"

He spoke, agonized by the unbearable pain. "I-it was an accident — agh!"

Again he pressed. Zadesh moved his face closer to the hunter's, his voice lowering into a deep growl. "Now, you see, that was an excuse — not an answer."

The boy's heart started to race. His fear slowly began to overwhelm the pain. _This bastard's insane!_

Playfully, Zadesh smiled at him, the dark, twisted look in his eyes growing. "Tell me, how is it five men leave to hunt down one monster and only one returns with nothing more but a dislocated limb?"

He saw the cold horror rise in the boy's blue eyes.

"I'm curious hunter, while this supposed giant snake-beast was slaughtering all of you, did you fight alongside your fellow hunters and luckily managed to live, or did you hide under a rock like a cockroach as they were all killed one by one?"

The hunter's face fell. Zadesh's harsh accusations struck him down word after word. Now he wasn't sure what he felt more: fear, pain, or regret. Whatever emotion it was, tears still burned in his eyes. They trickled down the side of his face.

When he did not answer, Zadesh pressed harder. "Well?"

He shrieked. "I hid! I hid!"

With his smile a firm line, Zadesh stared him down. His eyes narrowed, "And what about my harpy?"

"I - I don't know — gah!"

"That's not a good answer ~." He warned him in a threatening sing-song voice.

The hunter's body began to tremble. Trying to catch his breath, he found the wind to speak. "Your harpy, she-she took the arrow for that monster! And when it broke free, it had her in its wings! Even when we — agh! — _they_ attacked it, the monster never let her go! Not even for a second!"

Zadesh glared at him in silence.

"N-no one would've been able to get close to her. Not without getting past the snake."

"You idiots are monster hunters. You should've been able to handle that snake! It's just another monster!"

"This one was different! That snake was something we've never been up against before! It was much stronger than all the other monsters we've killed! And even if we did know what that thing was, it would have taken more than five hunters to bring it down! Either way, that monster still would have killed all of us!"

Zadesh's dark glare deepened. Nothing could compare to the pain he wanted to put the hunter through — absolutely nothing. His inner wrath made his body quake. He yanked the boy's vest, lifting his cane off his shoulder. He pulled him close so that they were face to face.

He could smell the wine in his breath as Zadesh growled at him, like a mad dog. "Do you have _any_ idea what you've cost me?!" He demanded.

"I asked you idiots to do one thing — _one simple thing! _Bring her back alive! And _you _come here with the audacity to demand for payment and give me nothing but childish excuses!"

Oh, Zadesh was _furious. _He wanted to hurt this pathetic hunter more than he wanted to hurt Sabin and Brone combined. Their slip up was nothing compared to this. Zadesh never thought about what he would do if Alisha ever died on him. No matter how much gold he would make from his elixirs, Alisha was his goldmine. She was abnormal, unique. She was something that people believed never existed.

That was the only reason they wanted to see her, why they would pay so much to look at her.

But now that she might be dead…!

Zadesh's cane seemed to have gained its own mind as it was lifted in the air. The terrified hunter looked from Zadesh's blazing eyes to the cane, and then back to him. His blue eyes rounded at quick realization.

He wouldn't…this man couldn't be that insane the he…he…but the dark gleam in Zadesh's eyes made him second guess.

Zadesh finally had it with these idiots. Sadly, he was surrounded by them. But he didn't need _this _idiot anymore. Because of him, slowly, Zadesh would lose everything he strived so hard for!

* * *

All Alisha could see was darkness.

All was quiet. So quiet, the drop of a pin could have blasted through with a disturbing echo. Her senses started to come to, as she felt like she was laying on a cloud, with something soft and warm over her. Slowly, her eyes began to open, and the darkness began to clear.

At first, Alisha's vision was filled with fuzzy, contorting shapes and strange colors. But after a few blinks they started to become clear. She made out the forms of long, silky drapes all around her that were sweeping combinations of blue and green. With a faint moan, Alisha slowly sat up. She felt a tiny spin in her head but that didn't stop her tired, curious eyes from gazing.

The tiny room was beautiful, filled with different shades of blue and green. The warm blanket covering her had a fascinating design of blue and gold, as did the rug beneath her. And outside was a large balcony, where Alisha could see sunlight peeking through the giant drapes.

Alisha, her mouth open, whispered in awe. "Wow." She almost thought she was dreaming the more she looked around.

Then her eyes happened to look down after feeling a breeze across her stomach. Her green eyes widened. She saw her torn shirt was missing…in fact, the thing covering her were bandages that wrapped around her breasts and across her left shoulder. Like a rose, Alisha's face reddened. Instinctively, she threw both her wings around her chest, shyly covering them even though she was completely alone.

Of course, that was what worried her.

She stood up from the bed (not before checking to make sure she was still clothed from the waist down, though. She let out a sigh of relief when her baggy pants were still there. Phew.) And started to look around more; her wings still over her chest.

Out of all that caught her attention, Alisha observed a golden dresser with a large, circular mirror connected to it. She had never seen something with such amazing craftsmanship. It definitely looked like something Zadesh would have, that she knew for sure. He always bought what he knew some people could rarely ever afford. Like his chair, where you would see him sit in as he counted his gold. Or the strongest horses to pull the cargo they carried when they traveled around, or the best wine that someone of royal birth would drink, or, really, anything else that was too rich for anyone's blood.

Zadesh, though, was no fool when it came to money. Oh no, on the contrary, he was the smartest person Alisha knew. He could make a bargain with anyone and anything…

Alisha stopped for a moment. Gradually, she found herself in the reflection of the mirror. Letting her wings fall to her sides, she leaned in a little closer. The harpy studied her bandages, tracing them with a wing. How, she wondered, did these get on her? And, most of all, by who?

She tried to think back, but her memory was a thick haze. All she could recall was pain and darkness. Alisha tried harder, but alas, nothing came to mind.

_Maybe if I look around more…_she thought. Maybe then something would come back to her. And hopefully answer how she got here.

Wherever here was, anyway.

To her left, sitting on the dresser, was a slim vase, and in it a white flower. Alisha gently caressed one of its petals. Then she looked to her right. There she saw a picture frame with the photo of a young man, smiling.

Alisha took it, inspecting it closely. She turned it over and under, and side to side, as if she was a child looking at it for the first time. She studied the picture of the boy. His eyes were as dark as his shaggy, black hair, and planted on top of it was a red cap. There was a little tan on her face as he charmingly grinned at her.

She giggled to herself. She remembered when Malcho —

Her body froze. Alisha's eyes gazed past the photo as it all came back to her, piece by piece. Her mind reeled, and she heard all the voices of her memory in the room.

_I think five of your arrows should do it._

_Malcho!_

_Alisha!_

…_You're stronger than this…_

_NO!_

A deep breath quivered out of Alisha. Those men…. Those men that came after her — she remembered! And Malcho and Jerky, they —

"Oh, you're awake."

Alisha spun around with a gasp, nearly dropping the picture of the boy. She studied the human girl before her. Like the boy, her skin had a tan in it. Her almond-shaped eyes were brown, and her hair was as black as a raven's feathers. With a sapphire on top of her head, her hair came down to her slim waist in thick bunches. Her sky-blue outfit only brought out the breath taking beauty of her body more, and, as Alisha saw the gold hanging from her ears and around her neck, it was obvious she was wealthy.

Alisha stared at this young woman in silence. Her beauty astounded her so much that she only _could _stare. In every place he stopped at, when he wasn't selling his elixir or parading Alisha around or counting his gold, Zadesh would flirt with every beautiful woman he could find. As she gazed at the girl, she imagined Zadesh's eyes popping out of their sockets, panting with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, and, possibly, whacking himself on the head with his cane.

The beautiful woman took a step towards Alisha, her eyes only on her. "How are you feeling?" She asked. There was so much kindness in her voice; Alisha couldn't believe it was directed towards her.

But that couldn't stop Alisha from trembling. She hadn't the slightest idea who this girl was or where she was, and Malcho and Jerky were nowhere to be found. She was all alone with a stranger in a strange place.

The woman started towards her. Fearfully, Alisha moved to the side, but the rug caught her foot and she fell backwards, taking the picture with her. Pain surged through her as soon as she collided with the floor. It felt like she fell on a knife. She cried out, cringing on the ground.

She heard the woman's voice and the concern that shined in it. "Careful!"

Wincing, Alisha looked up and found her kneeling beside her. Her brown eyes were two, gentle pools. "You need to be more careful, your wound hasn't healed yet. Are you alright?"

She raised a hand towards her, and Alisha, ignoring the sharp pain, backed away from her. She didn't stop until the side of the bed blocked her.

The woman stared at her with concerned and confused eyes, while Alisha stared back in fear.

Her mind told her to run, but her legs would not move. She sat there, lost and baffled.

Suddenly, the woman spoke to her in one of the softest voices as she cautiously crept towards the frightened harpy. "It's all right. There's nothing to be scared of." With that same hand from before, she extended it out to her again.

Alisha's body tensed instinctively, turning her head away and shutting her eyes tight. She felt the woman touch her wing…and it was the first time that a human touched her…with such gentleness. Alisha's eyes opened in amazement.

The only other human she knew with such a touch was…her mother.

"You see?" Alisha looked at young woman, who smiled at her. Sincerity was all the harpy could see in it. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Alisha gazed at her, completely caught by surprise. She didn't know what to say or what to do, so, simply, she nodded her head, confirming that she understood.

"My name is Jasmine." The young woman told her. "And who are you?"

Her voice was very timid. "A…Alisha…"

_I can't believe I'm actually introducing myself to a human stranger. _The disbelief of the situation began to push away the fear she felt, but her shyness never wavered.

"Alisha, it's a pleasure to meet you." Jasmine's smile seemed to glow, like morning dew on a flower.

Alisha could only nod again, "Ah, y-yes, likewise."

"And I see you've been looking around."

She blinked at her, and then Alisha looked down, remembering that she was still holding the photo of the boy to her bandaged chest. "Ah, I'm sorry," she frantically apologized, holding it out to her. "I didn't notice I still had it."

Taking it, Jasmine assured her. "It's all right. Don't worry." She stood up and placed the picture back on the dresser.

"Um, Jasmine," Alisha began to ask her, still on the floor, "can you tell me where I am?"

Now she looked at the harpy with question. "You don't know?"

Alisha shook her head, confused by her response. Was she supposed to? Alisha didn't even know what day it was much less where.

Realizing the harpy really didn't know, Jasmine finally answered her. "You're in Agrabah, Alisha."

Alisha's green eyes rounded. Her mouth fell slightly open.

"Agrabah…?" She echoed.

Jasmine nodded.

Her large eyes fell to the marble floor. She was…she was really, _truly_ here? She was finally home? Alisha was expecting a smile to blossom on her face, a smile of pure happiness. After so long, she was here at last, finally leaving behind every horrid and hope-crushing memory of Zadesh, and finally be with her mother again. You would think she'd be cheering and jumping for joy that she finally made it. That she was home at last!

Yet that smile never appeared, because they weren't here, the two closest friends in Alisha's life. _Malcho…Jerky…_

She knew by now Jerky would never leave her or Malcho's side. He was a loyal companion that could be trusted. Alisha feared that when that hunter smacked him, he might have done more serious damage than she thought. What if he hit little Jerky so hard…? Alisha didn't want to imagine that.

Then another fearful thought loomed over her. Malcho…what about him? What happened to him after she blacked out? Did he fight back, like she told him? Or…did the hunters — No! No! Malcho was strong! Alisha had to believe in him. But that only opened more doors of questions.

Such as: Why wasn't he here with her?

"I don't understand…" Alisha mumbled to the floor, too lost in thought to realize that she said this aloud.

"You don't understand what?" Jasmine suddenly asked, unaware what the harpy meant. Alisha had totally forgotten she was in the room.

"That —" Alisha's sentence came to an abrupt stop. _I doubt my reputation in Agrabah is anything but good. _Malcho's words replayed in her mind before his name passed through her lips. She gazed silently at Jasmine, who looked utterly confused.

_That's right. _The harpy thought. _I almost forgot that. These people hate Malcho. If they knew we were supposed to come here together, who knows what would happen._

It made Alisha begin to wonder, were these people evil? From the way Malcho described them, it sounded like they were. Of course, even if he never mentioned them, Alisha didn't trust this woman for a second. She might not have looked evil, but appearances were always deceiving.

"N-nothing," Alisha told her, retreating from the last thing she was going to say. "It's not important."

She tried to stand, but the pain brought her down on her knees, cringing and squeezing her eyes shut. Then Alisha felt a hand gently placed on her shoulder. "Here," she heard Jasmine say. "Let me help you."

She was the support Alisha leaned on as she steadily stood up, wrapping a hand around her waist to assist her to her feet. The harpy made sure not to move too fast or too sudden, aware the pain that she would feel if she did.

Softly, as Jasmine let her go after getting her to her feet, Alisha looked at her, "Thank you." And she gave a small smile.

Jasmine smiled right back at her. "You're welcome."

Her face began to brighten, so Alisha turned away as fast as she could. Just like that kind touch, Alisha was not use to a smile that was just as soft and caring either, especially from a human.

A loud growl erupted from her stomach, deepening Alisha's blush. She felt the greedy need for hunger inside it.

Jasmine tried not to giggle, but it couldn't be helped. "Come on." She said. "We were just about to have breakfast downstairs."

With a raised, shy brow, Alisha looked at her. "…'We'? You mean…there are other people here?" She could handle being around one human, but _more?!_

She blinked at Jasmine's strange but modest face. "Um, not exactly, but you'll see. Trust me, you'll see."

Now Alisha was more nervous. Yet she followed behind her as they started walking. As soon as they left the room, the harpy's eyes were _everywhere. _She looked up, down, left, right, gazing at whatever her curious eyes landed on (and they were just walking down a long hallway.) Alisha couldn't believe the size of it, either. It was all so big. Malcho would probably fit in it. And that was big.

Jasmine, the harpy could see, seemed use to the place, and knew her way around perfectly.

"You could really get lost in hallways like these." Alisha mused as they turned down another.

"A few people actually have." Jasmine told her. "But once you get use to it, you start to know your way around."

"You certainly seem to, Jasmine."

"That's because I live here."

Alisha stopped in her tracks. She _what…?_

Jasmine stopped a second later, noticing the harpy wasn't following her, and turned around, meeting the wide eyes of Alisha. At first, she didn't understand, but it occurred to her why she was getting that shocked and confused look in that same moment. "Oh, right. Sorry, I guess I probably should have told you in the beginning. I live here, in the Palace, because I'm the Princess. Princess Jasmine."

Alisha's mouth fell open. "You're the…?"

Jasmine nodded.

"And you live — I'm in — the…"

She nodded again.

"Oh my…" Alisha knew of the Palace, of course. Whenever she was out, she could see it from the streets of Agrabah. She remembered she always use to wonder about the inside. She wondered about the people who lived there, and if it was just as big on the inside as it was on the outside.

Alisha glanced around again, and then looked back at Jasmine. Well, looks like she got her answers.

Abruptly, nearly startling both Alisha and Jasmine out of their skins, a yell thundered down the gigantic hall. "Someone catch it! Don't let that rat near the food!"

Their heads snapped to where the yell echoed.

"A rat?" Jasmine repeated, startled.

But Alisha knew exactly who that "rat" was. "Jerky!" And she sprang forward, ignoring the wound on her back. Her heart filled with joy and hope.

"Alisha, wait!"

She couldn't, and she wouldn't dare wait. Alisha needed to find Jerky, and from what it sounded, it seemed like he got himself in trouble yet again. But Alisha was not only running to find her little mouse, but also for a deeper hope that blossomed in her pounding chest.

_If Jerky is here, then Malcho has to be here, too! He just has to be. _

Alisha ran down the hall with Jasmine running behind her. When she passed through an oddly shaped entrance, she found him.

Jerky's orange fur was standing as he glared at a tall, _blue _man. He was backed into a corner of the room. The man crept closer to Jerky. He wore a tan shirt and baggy, tan short, with brown and black boots on his feet, wearing a strange hat on his head that matched the color of his clothes. But his odd clothes weren't what was worrying Alisha. In his hands was a square cage, a cage, Alisha knew, was for trapping small animals.

"All right, little guy," He said, moving closer to Jerky, "now hold still…"

"No! Don't hurt him!" Alisha cried, feeling that same surge of emotion that went through her at the oasis.

All three heads spun around to her. With his ears perked up at the sound of her voice, Jerky zoomed between the man's legs and ran towards the harpy. In a single jump, he was in her wings. Alisha hugged the orange mouse tightly, as if he would vanish if she let go.

Jerky was the same way. He purred, licked, and brushed himself against her cheek.

"Oh, Jerky," she whispered, a part of the heavy weight that sat on her chest lightened a little, letting her breath. "I was so worried about you."

The bulky, blue man was beside her when she looked up. "Oh, so this little guy belongs to you?" he asked her.

"Uh, yes," she answered. When they pulled away, Alisha saw something in Jerky's mouth. He grabbed the green stem and held it out to her. Its petals were a light shade of pink and, though it was small and the stem half bent from being in Jerky's mouth, the flower was still beautiful.

Taking it, Alisha smiled. "Thank you, Jerky." She put it behind her left ear. "I love it."

The mouse's orange face seemed to brighten at her comment. He squeaked and smiled back, rubbing the back of his head with a paw.

"Well, that explains why he kept trying to get back into the Palace." The Princess said. She had walked up to the harpy and stood beside her. With a finger, she reached out and, after he stared at her for a moment, gently scratched little Jerky on the top of his head, like she would with a cat or a dog.

To Alisha's surprise he purred at the action, embracing into her finger.

"This is probably the seventh or eighth time he's found his way back in here." Jasmine told her.

Suddenly, the blue man appeared next to her in a puff of purple smoke. Alisha and Jerky jumped. His clothes from before were gone. And now he was wearing blue pants with a red belt and red shoes to match.

"We would've let him stay inside if we knew he was with you." Then he chuckled. "And here I thought he was just trying to steal some of our food."

Both the mouse and the harpy exchanged silent glances. They both wanted to make sure they saw the same thing, which, judging by the look the one gave the other, they had.

In that same instance, he shot his hand out to Alisha. She gasped at how fast the action was. "We didn't exactly get a chance to introduce ourselves to each other, y'know 'cause you were unconscious and all, but I'm Genie. And you would be?"

Hesitantly, she took his hand, "A-Alisha."

"Great to meet ya, Alisha!" Genie began to shake her wing, powerfully. "Hey, do you mind if I call you 'Aly', or how about 'Lisha', or, what about, just 'Lish'? Eh?"

Alisha would have shrugged if Genie wasn't still shaking her wing up and down. "Um, whichever one you want, I guess?"

"All right, Aly it is!" With another _poof _he was gone and her wing released.

_Well, at least it's not the last two._ Alisha thought, relieved.

She shook her head, unsure, exactly, about what had just happened. Jerky was on her shoulder (moving because he would have fallen off of Alisha's wing from Genie shaking it) and she rubbed the back of her head. She felt Jasmine's hand on her shoulder and she looked at her, her perplexity never falling.

The Princess whispered, "Don't worry. I know Genie comes on really strong, but he's a good person, no matter how wacky he is." Then she took a wing in her hand. "Now, let's eat."

The moment that last word came out of Jasmine's mouth, Alisha's stomach went off. She sat down on a soft cushion beside the Princess, Jerky jumped on the table in front of her. Alisha's mouth watered at all the food before her. The only time she could recall seeing so much food was in a market place, never on a table. She and Jerky were about to dig in when two other people sat at the table. Well, not _people_, to the harpy's surprise, but a skinny brown monkey and a red bird — a red, _talking _bird.

The monkey gave Alisha a squeak, waving a paw at her. Awkwardly, she waved back.

Though, on the other hand, the bird's greeting was a little more different.

"So sleeping beauty is finally awake, huh?" he took a grape and popped it in his mouth, er…beak. "You should count your blessings. We were starting to think you'd never wake up."

"Iago," Jasmine scolded, "be nice to our guest!"

"What? She's been here for three days, she's hardly a guest."

She scolded again, "Iago!" Quickly, she turned to the harpy with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about him, Alisha. Sometimes once Iago starts talking, he can't stop."

Alisha waved an assuring wing at her. "It's fine." In front of her, Jerky nibbled on a round, purple grape that was possibly the size of his head. "…Is that how long I was unconscious? For three days?"

She felt it was time for some answers.

The Princess nodded. "Yes. You were bleeding very badly, before and after we took the arrow out of your back. Luckily, with Genie's help, we fixed you right up."

"And talk about lucky!" Genie exclaimed, sitting at the other side of the table. "That arrow was only an inch away from sending you to the Netherworld. If it was just a little closer — I mean, well, that's not exactly a really good topic for breakfast, right?"

He didn't go on, seeing the concern in the harpy's face after "Netherworld" came out of his mouth.

She lifted a wing to her bandages around her chest. She saw it all replay in her mind's eye. That night…. Alisha remembered the unbearable pain from the arrow and how quickly her world turned dark. She thought she did die in that moment.

Her eyes lowered. _So it was that close huh…?_ She was unaware that all eyes were on her as her silence dwelled on.

"…But all that matters is that you're alive, Alisha." Jasmine comforted, kindly taking the liberty to break the silence. "And we'll take care of you as long as you need."

Alisha was assured by this, no matter how apprehensive they made her. Yet her mind was a fountain of questions, and these people seemed to be the only ones who had the answers.

There was a specific question she wanted the answer to, and, still gazing at the table, it was coming out of her mouth before she realized it.

"You said you found me," the harpy began, her green eyes lifting to meet the Princess, "what do you mean by that, exactly?"

Jasmine paused in the beginning, oddly perplexed and surprised at the same time. Then, after glancing around to the others, said, "We were hoping you would answer that question for us, Alisha."

The harpy blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"You see," she started, "we found you laying unconscious in front of the Palace doors with an arrow in your back in the middle of the night."

"Right before we heard that loud bang that could've woken the dead!" Iago, the red bird, added grudgingly. "It nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Beside him, the monkey nodded in agreement.

"What happened to you anyway, Aly?" Genie asked.

That, even though she dreaded it, Alisha could answer. "W - I was attacked by some hunters and one of them shot me with an arrow…" Solemnly, her eyes fell to the side. "Everything else is kind of a blur after that."

None of it made sense. How could she remember being at the oasis yet somehow end up here in Agrabah? But the answer to that question hit her not a second later. Her heart back flipped. Malcho! He was the only possible answer. He must have flown her here…with his sprain not healed yet?!

_That giant lunatic!_ Alisha screamed in her mind, her wing curling into a fist on the floor. _What in the world was he thinking? Malcho knew he couldn't fly in his condition!_

Yet, in her frustration, Alisha couldn't help but feel touched. Malcho went through all of that…for her. Her head lowered, her fist tightening. _What if something happened?_

Idiot was the only thing she could call him.

A crazy and selfless idiot.

"Alisha, why don't you eat something?" Jasmine offered, snatching her attention. "You look really hungry."

And was she ever. She grabbed the first thing that came into her line of vision. At first, Alisha did try to use her manners, but after that first bite her hunger began to take over. She wolfed down the food on her plate in mere minutes, and then asked politely for seconds. Alisha asked for thirds as quickly as she asked for the last. She remembered to dab her mouth with the napkin beside her plate in case anything got on it, but it didn't change the unflattering sight of her gulping down food. Once again, all eyes were on her, stunned by her appetite, but Alisha ignored them. It was the first decent meal she really had.

All her life, Alisha despised her twig figure. And it, of course, only got worse with Zadesh. Seeing some of the bones under her skin always made chills go up her spine, so she tried to cover them up as much as she could.

Hopefully, this would fix all that.

"Careful Aly, don't choke on us now." Genie said, handing her a glass of water to wash down her food. "After all that worrying we had with you that's the last thing we want."

She took a sip. "It's all just so good." Alisha said, setting the glass down. She went to go take another bite when her bangs fell in front of her face for the hundredth time. She flipped them back.

"Alisha, when was the last time you had a hair cut?" The Princess asked, curiously.

Alisha swallowed then pursed her lips together in thought. She grabbed a lock and let it fall strand by strand. When _was_ the last time this brown mess was cut?

As a child, Alisha's hair only came to the end of her neck, but, like every child's hair, it grew longer as time went by. When she was older, maybe seven or eight, it was between her shoulders. Now, much older, her hair was down to her waist, with a few locks falling past it.

"I have no idea." Alisha finally answered, turning to her. "Why?"

"I think it's time you had one."

Jasmine stood up, then, taking Alisha's wing in her hand. Confused, Alisha followed her.

"Genie, could you give me a hand?" she asked him.

"Sure thing, Jas!"

Then with another poof, Genie changed again. This time he was dressed as a woman, wearing flannel dress with a poodle stitched into it, with curly brown hair hardened with hairspray on his head. In the pocket on his white shirt were a pair scissors and a skinny comb.

"Darlin', we are going to make you look fabulous!" He said to Alisha in a strange voice she had never heard before, chewing a piece of bubble gum in his mouth.

She stared at Genie, baffled, as Jasmine pulled her along, while curious Jerky followed behind the three as they left the room.

* * *

"Now, just hold still…"

Jasmine, with a loud snip, cut tiny strands of Alisha's bangs that she held between her first and middle finger.

Alisha sat still, slouching just a little so she wouldn't aggravate her wound. Genie had buttoned a long drape that covered her from neck to nearly the bottom of the floor. Her hair was wet thanks to him turning into a blue spray bottle. The harpy couldn't believe how long her hair got as soon as it was wetted down. Her bangs dangled, dripping wet, down past her nose!

No doubt, Alisha was in desperate need of a cut, a whole lot more than she realized.

"You don't mind doing this in your room?" she asked the Princess as she sniped off more of her dead ends. The room was so lovely the last thing she wanted was to get it dirty.

"Of course not," Jasmine told her, "I cut my hair in my room all the time."

Below them, Genie was sweeping up fallen hairs on the floor, now in the form of a broom, accompanied by a floating pan. While sitting on the dresser behind them was Jerky, watching, with his head tilting from one side to the other, with inquisitive golden eyes. The pink flower he had given her was beside him.

"You never told me how you were feeling, by the way." Jasmine said, trying to make conversation with the harpy, still trimming off dead ends, which there were a lot of.

"Oh, fine. Thank you." Alisha answered, suddenly remembering that she didn't before. "But I've been better."

"I'll give you some more medicine for your pain as soon as we're finished with your hair." She said. "We gave you some a few hours ago and we don't want it to wear off."

Alisha gulped at the thought of feeling that pain again. She felt enough of it when she fell on the floor.

She asked, "How long do you think my wound will take to heal?"

"I think two weeks, maybe a little longer."

"I see…"

"But you don't have anything to worry about, Alisha." Jasmine stopped cutting her hair to tell her this, her dark eyes meeting her green gaze. "I told you, we'll take care of you as long as you need."

"Yeah, Aly," Genie said, poofing next to Jasmine in his original form and beaming a smile at her. "We'll make sure you get back on your feet in no time. And besides, you'll like everyone here. Even Iago, aside from his mouth and selfishness, he's a pretty good bird. And you gotta meet Al, too!"

She raised a brow at the new name. "Al?"

"Aladdin." Jasmine clarified. "He left with Carpet the other day to handle some problems a village was having. But it's very far away from here, so they'll be back in a few days."

"Oh…" Apprehension found its way inside the harpy again at the thought of more humans. She had become a little comfortable with Jasmine, but her trust was a different matter. Alisha knew she had to be careful with humans, no matter how kind one seemed. You never know when they'll turn on you...

Jasmine was back to cutting. After a few minutes of checking lengths, snipping a strand or two, and checking lengths again, Jasmine took a step back. "There. All done."

She unbuttoned the drape and pulled it off Alisha. "Take a look."

Carefully, Alisha stood up and turned, and…couldn't believe at who she was staring at. The creature was gorgeous, with her round face, emerald eyes, and now with silky brown hair. She was surprised to see it was her reflection in the mirror.

Jasmine had cut her bangs beautifully, snipping them just a few inches above her eyes. She felt her hair graze against her lower back, an inch or two above her waist.

She smiled, absolutely breath taken by her own reflection. Alisha never thought of herself in a position such as this. Normally she loathed to see herself in anything that would remind her of what she looked like physically. To her, there was nothing worth the look. But now…now she felt different. And it wasn't a bad different. Not at all. It was a good kind of different.

Something she hadn't felt in such a long time.

Jerky smiled, seeing her smile.

"Well, what do you think?" Jasmine asked behind her, standing beside Genie.

"It's…" the harpy paused, trying to find the right words to describe it. She turned, and, for the first time since she woke up, beamed that smile at them. It was a happy and grateful smile.

"I think it's wonderful."

* * *

The room was dark. The only light that shined was from the bright moon, beaming one of its radiant rays through the balcony of Jasmine's room.

Alisha laid there on the bed, gazing into the night sky from it. She had asked Jasmine to keep the drapes open, just so she could see it.

Outside, she knew Agrabah was fast asleep. And she knew somewhere that her mother was asleep, and waiting for her to return. Alisha decided to wait until the arrow wound on her back was healed enough until she'd go out and find her.

Throughout the day it ached. Whenever she made a certain move, or stretched out a wing, or even walked, it ached. Alisha knew she couldn't go to her mother in a condition like this. She wanted her to see her well and healthy. As if all that torment with Zadesh never happened at all. Not like this. She couldn't….

Sleeping soundly on her lap in a tiny, orange ball was Jerky. His flower that he had given to her was lying next to him. Alisha stroked his fur, gently.

At first, you would think there was nothing troubling the night-gazing harpy, but inside, there was so much more.

_Malcho…_

When her mind wasn't on her mother, Alisha thought about the serpent. Wondering where he could possibly be, and, most of all, if he was all right. She had tried so hard through the day not to worry, but it was just no use.

Did he manage to get away from the hunters unscathed? And why did he just leave her and Jerky here without giving them some kind of idea or hint to where he was? And what about his sprain?

It was one fearful question after another. Each one lead to a dark answer that Alisha didn't have the heart to bear. It was too much. And Alisha knew she couldn't think of the worst, she had to believe in Malcho, thinking of only the best. She had to have hope for him. She had to.

Still…

Thoughts that manifested from her fears stacked on top of each other one by one, making the harpy's heart flip up and down. Alisha tried to push them all back but they were too strong.

Her wing stopped mid-stroke on Jerky's back. She dwelled deep within her mind and her memories, searching them yet again for answers to the serpent's whereabouts. Again with no avail. The thick darkness clouded them.

Alisha's gazed deeper into the tranquil, star-filled night, as if one of those far off, tiny lights might answer her. But they were all as silent as stars. Aside from her thoughts, everything around the harpy was quiet. She wasn't use to so much of it. She recalled a night, a very late one, when she was still at that small oasis with Malcho. Neither of them had been able to fall asleep, so he began to tell her stories of his adventures in the rain forest he grew up in.

Alisha had listened intently to every baritone word. Telling her of the beasts he faced against, Malcho raised his good wing high in the air, describing the size of it to her.

"The monstruo was eighty — maybe ninety feet tall, mi amiga!" He had exclaimed, his voice bursting with excitement. "And he stared me down with such a blood lust in his eyes. We charged at each other at the same time, and when we collided, the battle had begun!"

Alisha was able to tell that some parts of Malcho's story were intentionally exaggerated, but that didn't break her joy one bit. Nor did it take away the excitement she felt radiating off of him. Alisha enjoyed every single moment of it.

His life — exaggerated or not — sounded like such an adventure. Something she could only dream of…

Alisha felt something soft against her wing, then. It reeled her back to Earth and she looked down. Sitting, Jerky stared up at her, caressing his head against her feathers.

"I'm sorry, Jerky." She apologized, petting his head. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

As he looked up at her again, Alisha caught and studied sudden sadness on the little mouse's face. Then he bent his ears back, even after she stopped petting him. It was enough to make her chest crack. It was written all over him, brimming in his golden eyes.

The harpy paused for a second. "I know." She said to Jerky softly. "I'm worried about him, too."

His eyes fell to the side.

"Hey," Alisha gave an assuring smile, "I'm sure he's fine. We both know Malcho is strong. He can take care of himself. He's fine." She repeated. She repeated it in hopes Jerky would believe…and in hopes she would believe it, too.

"I know he is."

Yet the knots never untangled in her chest, no matter how many times she told herself: "He's fine."

Jerky left as soon as Alisha fell asleep. He pushed open the tiny crack in the door with all his might. He wiped away some sweat on his orange brow with a breathless "Phew!"

He turned back to the sleeping harpy once more before starting down the long, dark hall.

_Wow, this place is like a maze. _The mouse-beast thought, scurrying across the tile. _Spring cleaning must be a nightmare._ He made turn, after turn, after turn, and after turn in hallway, after hallway, after hallway…. But he still kept going. He had to find a way outside.

Of course, that was easier said than done. Getting inside was trouble-free. The blue guy, Genie, threw him outside just as much as the Princess did while they were working on getting the arrow out of Alisha's back. But each time, Jerky found a new way inside. Eventually they gave up and let him stay inside. But when he tried to see if Alisha was alright, they threw him out yet again.

They assumed he was a "filthy vermin trying to steal their food." At least that's what the blue guy said.

Jerky found his way into the throne room of the Palace. Looking around, he spotted a giant door and two odd-shaped windows. He knew he wouldn't be able to open the door, so the mouse scurried to one of the windows. With a jump, he grabbed it. Jerky had to dig his claws into it as he pulled himself up, thankful his sprained foot was healed and allowed him to do this.

With another jump, he was outside. _Huh, what do ya know, that wasn't hard at all._

In an orange flash, Jerky was on the fountain in the middle of the garden. He scanned around, keeping both eyes wide open for movement.

_Now, where could he be? _He knew Malcho had to be close by, he could feel it in his small gut. If only he knew where to start looking…

Jerky gave an agitate sigh. _You would think a fifty-foot, purple snake with wings would stick out like a sore thumb._ (But, then again, this was Malcho, who could hide anywhere and NOT be spotted.)

His large ears flattened against his skull the more he looked around. _Malcho didn't really abandon us, did he? _He couldn't have, not after all that. It was obvious Malcho was worried about Alisha; Jerky could hear every beat of the serpent's heart while they were flying. And there was one moment where Malcho looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

He went through all of that just to save her.

Jerky shook his head and nodded, confidence and determination tossed away his doubt, and he scanned the dark garden again. Suddenly, there came a loud noise. Jerky jumped and shielded himself with his paws, startled. He heard the rustle of tree leaves and felt a breeze pass over him.

The mouse opened an eye, and as he did, he wasn't sure what to make of the figure he saw. But he saw black wings, and as it passed by the moon's light, Jerky spotted a purple color graze over the dark figure. Though it was only for a second, Jerky's face still beamed. It was him, it had to be! Unless there was more than one giant, purple snake slithering around here — which was a definite 'no' — there was no doubt. It had to be him.

Malcho!

* * *

Zadesh made sure the beak of the bird skull was facing forward as he came at the young hunter. Its sharp beak could cut deeply into the flesh, ensuring a painful and bloody whack.

He still held him down so he couldn't run. A better quarry was one that couldn't escape.

The hunter lifted his arms out defensively and cried out, his hysteria noticeable. "Wait, wait! There might be a chance your harpy is still alive!"

Zadesh's arm froze in mid air, his black glare sending chills up the hunter's spine. With a tug, he grabbed him by his filthy vest and pulled him close, like before, their noses nearly touching.

"What makes you so sure?" Zadesh demanded in a deep and affirmative voice, his cane, still tight in his other hand, by his side.

After a gulp, the hunter said, "I saw the-the snake fly off with her. I - it might have taken her somewhere — maybe to that city you mentioned!"

His orange brow furrowed, but his cold glare never fell. Skepticism and annoyance edged in his voice. And here he thought this hunter couldn't be any more stupid. "You really believe a giant, dense monster knew of a place that could save her? Your brain must've fried like an egg under that sun." Zadesh said as he tapped the butt of his cane against the side of the hunter's head. He smiled when he quivered.

The hunter tried to remain calm as he shook his head at him. "Oh no, this snake isn't dense at all. I wasn't exaggerating when I said this monster is different. It's intelligent."

Zadesh rolled his eyes, his smile disappearing. "And yet I'm still not convinced."

Then, the hunter whispered two words. Two words that made Zadesh's grip on his vest loosen a little.

"_It spoke!"_

Zadesh was silent for a moment. "…You're sure?"

"Yes, yes I am. I couldn't believe it either, but that snake spoke — as clearly as we are speaking now."

He let him go and turned, giving him his back. Zadesh put a hand to his chin, holding it. If this hunter was correct, then that would mean that snake would be with Alisha, since it sounded like it cared about her. A dark smile blossomed on his lips.

"Interesting," he mumbled. "I'm very intrigued in this monster now."

"You're _what?_" the hunter asked, holding his arm as he felt jolts of pain in the joint.

He flinched when Zadesh spun around to face him, sending a friendly yet dark smile. "What's your name, hunter?"

The hunter raised a brow, never letting his guard fall for a second. "Daniel," he answered. "Why did you ask?"

He waved a hand. "Oh, no reason," Zadesh answered, "I just simply realized you and I weren't properly introduced. That's all."

Zadesh started for the table. Daniel moved to the side, watching his every move closely. Behind him was Zadesh's hat. He lifted it, brushed some dirt off the top, and placed it on his orange head.

"And besides," he turned his head to meet Daniel's gaze, his smile never falling. "A boss is supposed to know the name of the person he is employing, isn't he?"

His mouth fell open and his eyes rounded. Daniel blinked, "W-what?"

Zadesh reached out and shook his good hand, as if the two men were meeting for the first time. "I am Zadesh, by the way. In case you didn't remember."

"I know what your blasted name is!" Daniel snapped, pulling his hand out of his grip. "And what the blazes do you mean by boss and employ?"

"Well, for a job, of course."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Daniel demanded loudly. Zadesh simply stood there, watching and listening, unfazed by his yelling. "You just tried to bash my head in a minute ago, and now you're giving me a job to work for you?"

He never batted an eye lash as he nodded, "Pretty much."

"Thanks but no thanks."

Zadesh cocked his head a little to the side. "Oh come now. You haven't even heard the job I have in mind for you."

Daniel snapped again. "I'm not interested."

He paused a moment, then clicked his tongue. "Not interested he says…"

Something inside him changed, but Daniel wasn't sure what. He took a step away, cautious of the man. He watched as Zadesh walked over to the table and poured himself another glass of wine. All was silent as he took a sip.

"Daniel, I'm very curious," Zadesh turned around and faced him. His sharp eyes striking him like a dagger. He held his glass with such elegance he could've been mistaken for royalty. "Exactly how much money does a monster hunter usually make?"

Daniel had to stop and think about that one. "Um, well…"

"Hunting monsters must not be so easy nowadays, is it? It's not like you're hired to kill one every day, I'm sure."

"You sound like you're trying to make a point."

Zadesh's smile widened. "Indeed I am." Then he sat his glass down on the table, and began, placing a hand firmly on the skull of his cane. "You see, Daniel, I sell a very 'unique' product. I call it my 'Magic Elixir', something of my own creation that takes away pain. I travel around, selling bottle after bottle for the right price. And that's when my harpy comes in. She's my little side-show that people pay extra to see."

Tied around his belt, Zadesh pulled out the same sack of gold that he had promised to Daniel and the other hunters all those days ago. He tossed it on the table. Gold coins and gems scattered out of the untied mouth.

"In a week, she makes me that." He told him. Then, on the top of three barrels, Zadesh grabbed an even bigger, _fatter_ sack. He dropped it on top of the smaller one.

Daniel's eyes grew wide. Hundreds of gold coins shined, along with rubies and all kinds of colorful gems. He walked over to it, as if he was caught in some kind of trance. He stood by Zadesh, whose smile broadened as he examined his gaze.

"In a few months, she made me this." He said. "And in a year…" Then Zadesh turned towards the three barrels that were behind him.

All Daniel heard was a crash. And when he spun around, his mouth hit the floor. Gold, rubies, diamonds, and gems were piled on the ground before him. Daniel thought he had died and gone to heaven. Never — not _once _since he had joined those bastards, or since he became a monster hunter — _never_ had Daniel seen so many riches! The only time he did was when he was dreaming.

Zadesh stood by him, triumph brimming in those black eyes.

"…She made me all this."

He closed Daniel's gaping mouth with a finger. Then, again taking his good arm, he opened his hand.

Daniel looked down and watched Zadesh drop a handful of golden coins in his palm. He looked up at him with question.

"Your job would be much more important than Sabin and Brone's. Not to mention your pay." Zadesh met his eyes, holding Daniel's wrist. "If what you say is true and my harpy is still alive, then that means your first task still isn't over with."

"My first…wait, you mean you still want me to bring her back? Alone? B-but what about that snake, what if it's still with her?"

"We'll worry about the snake later. My first priority is my harpy. And don't worry, you're not going alone. We'll start for Agrabah in the morning."

"And when we find her?"

"That's when your new job begins." Zadesh explained. "When we put her back in her cage, she stays in there. And you will make sure of that."

"How?" Daniel asked.

"Anyway you know how. Just watch her when I'm not. If she tries to get out, you stop her. I don't care how. Beat her, or drug her, whatever is necessary. Just don't kill her. That is my absolute rule."

A chill went up Daniel's back. "Don't you think that's a little…?" He couldn't find the right word.

"Cruel? Demented? Inhuman?" Zadesh chuckled. He knew the list could go on forever. "I suppose it is. But why should a human feel sympathy for a monster? You of all people should know that better than anyone, Daniel. After all, you hunted them for a living."

Daniel's jaw tightened. That was right. He learned that lesson many years ago, back when he was a child. Humans should never feel sorry for monsters. They didn't deserve it. A monster is a monster, no matter the shape or form.

"I can't trust Sabin or Brone with this job anymore." Zadesh told him. "It's their fault she got out in the first place. And since she escaped once, I doubt nothing will stop her from trying again." He gave Daniel a smile. "But I have a feeling you won't let me down like those brainless cretins did."

He blinked, and another chill went up his spine. He had a really bad feeling about this guy…

"Of course," Zadesh said, "there are a few things that are going to have to change."

"Like what?" Daniel immediately regretted asking as soon as that dark look returned in his black eyes.

"For starters, that bad habit you seem to have with running away when there's danger. That won't work with me." Slowly, his grip around his wrist tightened with each word that came out of his mouth. "Let me explain something to you, Daniel, something that may come in handy for you in the near future. I _**despise**_ cowards. And that little stunt you pulled with your comrades was _extremely_ cowardly. So if you accept my job — you better grow a very big spine very fast!" He pulled Daniel closer by his wrist, "because if you thought what you witnessed before was unpleasant, think again."

Daniel didn't try to run away, because his legs were too scared to move, and Zadesh's grip was like iron melded to his skin. But, mostly, it was because of those eyes. They sucked him up in their black void, draining him of any hope he had left. All he could feel was fear.

Zadesh raised his brow, his voice low. Slowly, he released Daniel's wrist. "So, with that being said…have we got a deal?"

He paused. He looked to the gold in his wrist (feeling the blood flow back into it) then back to Zadesh.

"…Deal." At least he was giving him a job that was actually going to pay, right?

…Right?

"Good!" In a blink, all tension and intimidation he was giving off vanished. Now he was as he was before: calm and, above all, pleasant.

Zadesh couldn't help but feel victorious. Yet another dog on his leash. And a very useful one at that. He would indeed need a lot of hard training, but it was nothing Zadesh couldn't handle. It never takes long to teach a new dog some new tricks.

Suddenly, Daniel asked him, "But, Zadesh, what if I'm wrong, and your harpy is, you know, dead?" Another question he regretted asking.

He saw that look return in his eyes. Inwardly, Daniel panicked. _Oh, hell, not again!_

Shockingly, Zadesh's voice was still pleasant, but his smile at Daniel was a manifest station of the darkness in his gaze. "Well, then you better pray that that snake is close by, otherwise we'll have to reconsider your job."

He gulped. "W-what do you mean by 'reconsider'?" He prayed it meant firing him.

Zadesh hummed a laugh, shaking his head. "I think a bucket of tar and plucked chicken feathers would work, don't you think?"

Daniel, fearfully, nodded, giving a nervous smile, "Got it."

_Psycho!_

_Lunatic!_

_Crazy man!_

Those were only half of what Daniel wanted to call him, but new better.

"Now, let's fix that arm." He called, "Brone!"

The pig of a man answered, opening the tent. "Yeah, Boss?" Sabin was beside him.

He pointed his cane in Daniel's direction. "Fix this boy's arm, won't you? It's out of socket. And say hello to the new member of our family: Daniel!"

Alas, neither of the two men was as enthusiastic as Zadesh was. To them, Daniel was just new meat, getting half of the money. What was there to get excited over?

Zadesh's attention shifted. "Sabin, help me pack the stuff up outside. We're leaving this village."

"To where, Boss?" the skinny man asked.

"Agrabah." He answered. "We start in the morning. And I want to be there sooner than soon. So no messing around, understand?"

In unison, Sabin and Brone responded with the ever-so-famous: "You got it, Boss!"

Before he walked out, though, Zadesh stopped by Brone and whispered, "Now, no matter how much he screams, don't stop until you hear something pop. Understand, Brone? Just don't break his arm."

He chuckled, looking at trembling Daniel. He cracked his giant, thick knuckles. "Will do, Boss."

Zadesh exited the tent, with Sabin by his side. His gaze traveled the distance, his eyes narrowing.

"_**Aaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhh!"**_

Daniel's pain-filled cry echoed behind him, but it only fell on deaf ears. Zadesh was too lost in thought to acknowledge it. His apprehension started to take over.

_Alisha…_he thought, keeping his black eyes forward. _Why am I not surprised you would try to die on me the first chance you had? _He could only wonder how many times she thought about it as she sat in that cage. Empathy was far beyond Zadesh's character, but he knew if he were as friendless, pitiful, and lonely like Alisha, he'd wish for death, too. And even if she truly was dead, at least he had a back up plan already in mind.

Zadesh smiled. A part of him doubted that it really spoke, but the part of him that didn't was very intrigued. A giant, winged snake with the ability to speak...who _wouldn't _be intrigued by that? In fact, he was already starting to think of a good name to give it. But Zadesh didn't want to jump too far ahead. It was only one little arrow that shot Alisha. He knew she was somewhere, hopefully Agrabah, recovering. And who knew what would happen when he found her. If he was lucky, maybe, just maybe...

_Maybe I'll get the chance to meet this fascinating monster._

* * *

Wow, I'm sorry, I had no idea how long that was. It seemed shorter while I was writing it...oops.

Heh...Zadesh _really _knows how to hire someone, doesn't he? Terrify, intimidate, and threaten. Now THAT is how you give someone a job! xD

Poor Daniel. He has no idea of the misery he's going to suffer through...

R&R


	9. Chapter 9: The Void

Yay! Look guys, another chapter! And it didn't take me forever! Yay!

**Special Thanks****: **Thank you for all the reviews everyone. As always, they are very helpful. And also, thank you to NightmareKittyKat for posting that journal. It made me smile :)

R&R

Oh, and one last thing, when you guys see this: _**XXX** _that means a character is going into a memory. Ok?

Enjoy!

* * *

******Disclaimer****: I do not own ANY of the original Aladdin characters, nor do I own the settings involved with them. I only own Alisha, Jerky, Zadesh, Sabin, Brone, and Daniel.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

The Void

Malcho needed to fly.

He needed to be high in the sky, disconnected to the harsh realities that dwelled on the ground. It was only there where he felt at peace with himself, and his mind clear.

The serpent distanced himself as far as he could, yet the issue followed him with wings of its own. It refused to let Malcho have his serenity. He flew further, but it never ceased its pursue.

Malcho found the ability to ignore it. If he did, maybe then the issue would go away. His face was solemn as he flew. A night breeze caressed his scales and gently pulled back his hair. Oh, how wonderful it felt to Malcho to finally fly again, after what felt like eons. To be one with the air, wind, and sky! He had missed it so much.

And yet, to the Quetzalcoatl's surprise, he was not…_fully _content.

Si, something was missing. But what was it? He could fly again, and his sprain was finally healed. So then what was missing? Malcho found the ledge of a rocky mountain and perched himself on it. It was not exactly a tall mountain nor was it a small one. All that mattered to him was the view. And it was perfect.

For the third night in a row, Malcho gazed at the black sky, watching dark-colored clouds drift idly by, letting the light of the bright waxing gibbous moon to shine down on the slumbering city of Agrabah.

Silently, the Quetzalcoatl stared at it. That blasted place was one of the reasons Malcho needed to clear his mind.

After so much waiting, here he was, finally, in the city of his two enemies. And neither of them knew he was here.

In fact, there probably wasn't a single human down there who knew he had arrived.

Which was absolutely perfect! It meant Malcho's revenge would be unexpected. No one would see him coming — not even Aladdin!

…But it has been three days since he had arrived in Agrabah…and every day since then, those thoughts always went through the mighty serpent's mind. It was such a shock to Malcho that after the vow he took to get revenge on Aladdin and Iago, after every dark and blood stained thought he had of them, and after every bitter emotion that boiled deep inside of him whenever he remembered the humiliations they caused him — he still allowed three days to pass…!

Three days of hiding outside the Palace and doing nothing to get his revenge.

Malcho heaved a heavy sigh. What was even more shocking was that he knew why. It was because he was confused, and also because he was…worried. Extremely worried. And it only grew over the three days, at a point where Malcho needed to fly away from it. But, blast it all, it followed him here, too. No matter what he did he couldn't escape it.

His worry was never going to give him peace, it seemed. At least, not until he knew she was alright.

When Malcho breathed, his breath rolled out of his mouth like a puff of white smoke as he whispered, "Alisha…"

Her name triggered it. And in a rush, that night — that dreadful night — flooded Malcho's memory.

_**XXX**_

With his heart hammering a hundred miles an hour, Malcho flew through the endless black pit of a sky. He was careful not to make harsh turns or go too fast, otherwise Jerky or Alisha, or both, would fall off his back. He knew that was the last thing he needed. Malcho was doing the best he could not to panic; the last thing he wanted was an injured arpía and an orange mouse plummeting to their doom.

From above, he searched all around for a place that could help, where someone could get that damned arrow out of his amiga's back before it claimed her life. He had to find someplace with someone while there was still a chance for her!

All below Malcho was sand, sand, and more sand. He cursed to himself. _Damn it all, how long is this desert? _He didn't have time for this! He needed to find help for — suddenly, something slowly started to come into view. And _gracias a dios_ it wasn't more sand!

It was too dark to make out, but he didn't care. Malcho's hopes fluttered. Warning Jerky to hold on tight, he picked up his flying speed. As he grew closer, Malcho started to make the dark place out. He didn't recognize it until he was almost above it, and when he did, his soaring hopes lost altitude and took a downwards spiral to the ground. His glowing eyes rounded, and he came to an abrupt mid-air halt. Malcho's breath came out in thin puffs of white smoke as he tried to catch it.

He gawked below him. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Agrabah," he breathed, absolutely stunned.

It couldn't be. Malcho thought he was imagining things, but he knew in the back of his mind that he wasn't. He recognized it all. Every building, every street, and, most of all, Malcho recognized the Palace. His heart beat deepened. Why? Why? Why of all places? Why Agrabah? Malcho had a feeling while he and Alisha were at the oasis that they were close to this city, but caramba, it was only a feeling! He didn't actually know they were closer than he had assumed.

Though his wings were still moving up and down, keeping them in the air, Malcho was frozen. This was the part of his plan where he thought he would figure out as soon as he found a place that could help Alisha, but now that that place he was so desperate to find unexpectedly happened to be Agrabah, everything suddenly began to take a dramatic change. Malcho knew full well what would happen if he saw them, that treacherous bird and that interfering boy. Not a single day went by when he didn't have a blood-filled imagination of his vengeance. Now that he was here, it would all happen. Malcho could finally make those imaginations real! He would finally —

"Ow!" A lock of his hair was fiercely yanked, pulling the Quetzalcoatl out of his thoughts. In a second, Jerky was standing on the edge of Malcho's nose, squeaking angrily at him. And to his dismay, he could understand every word the rodent squeaked.

Jerky was telling him to quit stalling (well, he used a harsher word than 'stalling') and to get down there and find someone to help Alisha.

Malcho irritatedly hissed. "I know what I have to do, you little rodent!" Slowly, his annoyance fell, a new emotion taking over him. "It is just…"

_And to think I was scared of a chump like you._

_Face it Malcho, you're powerless._

Malcho hesitated. Aside from Iago and Aladdin, he didn't know a single person down there. It wasn't like he could knock on a door and beg someone for their help; the whole city would be in an uncontrollable panic in a matter of minutes. And Alisha didn't have much time. He knew her chance of surviving was slipping away the more his uncertainty dwelled on.

His fangs clenched together. What was he to do? If he didn't act, then Alisha would...!

"I…"

_Malcho._

"I…"

_Amigo._

"I…"

_You're stronger than this…!_

"I…have no choice!"

Jerky was flung back, grabbing and holding on to Malcho's hair as he swooped down. He flew high over each building, heading straight for the Palace. He knew Aladdin would not ignore someone in need, no matter what they looked like. When he saw the wall, Malcho knew he was getting closer. He flew over it and came to the hill of stairs. He remembered them well. He could practically see Iago shaking in front of those doors as they met beak-to-snout again after banishing him to the Frozen North. But that did not matter now.

Gently, Malcho wrapped his tail around Alisha's waist. Once he lifted her off his back, he supported her head with his wing, avoiding the arrow in her back at all cost. Malcho treated the unconscious harpy as if she were made of glass that would shatter if he was too careless with her. He placed Alisha on her side.

In a second, Jerky scurried from the top of Malcho's head and next to Alisha, looking over the harpy with worried eyes.

"Stay with her, Jerky." Malcho told the mouse. "No matter what, stay by her side."

The mouse-beast turned to him. Though he was slightly confused, Jerky still nodded.

In that same moment, Malcho formed a fist with his wing, not caring if it was his sprained one or not, and —

_BANG! _His fist collided with the door.

The ground quaked under the velocity of the blow and the echo carried like a heart-stopping crack of thunder. There was no possible way that the people — not even the dead — of Agrabah couldn't have heard it.

"That should do it." Malcho muttered. He glanced at Jerky, who had covered his ears as soon as Malcho practically sucker-punched the door. "If that did not wake someone up, I have no idea what will." The serpent said to him. The mouse, uncupping his ears, nodded in agreement. Both creatures looked up then, waiting for the first sign. High above, a light came pouring out of a balcony. Bueno, that was all Malcho needed to see.

He looked down to his amiga. He felt his entire demeanor soften. With a wing, Malcho brushed back a lock of Alisha's hair back from her face. And still, she did not respond to his touch. His heart sank into his stomach. Hopefully...no, he knew they would help her. Malcho knew if he was the one injured, these people would turn away from him, but Alisha was different. They would stop at nothing to help her. And that was all Malcho wanted.

_Por favor, mi amiga. Hang in there._ And with that, Malcho was air born again. He flew straight into the dark night. But he gave one last glance back to them. He saw a light sweep over both Alisha and Jerky as the doors opened. Then Malcho looked away, getting as far out of sight as possible.

**_XXX_**

Now here he was. Malcho did try to leave, but the thought of abandoning his amiga without knowing if she was alright actually terrified the Quetzalcoatl greatly. So he stayed, hiding far out of sight.

Malcho was stuck with a dilemma in his wings. Alisha's life was now in the hands of his enemies. He couldn't attack them; otherwise he would jeopardize his amiga's survival. If that happened, Malcho would never…

All he could do was hide, like a snake in the grass, and wait to see her. Malcho needed to see Alisha just once, even if it was just from afar. He needed to know she was alright. But as day after day passed, seeing not a single person walk out of that Palace, only deepened the mighty serpent's concern more and more.

_If this goes on any longer,_ the Quetzalcoatl thought, _I think I'll go mad._

At least, for now, Malcho had a chance to collect his thoughts.

He just hoped that she wasn't in pain. Alisha was so small and fragile…he prayed the worst of it was over.

Unexpectedly, Malcho jolted. He was startled by something that suddenly grabbed his tail, pulling the black locks of hair that dangled at the end of his tail. The serpent lifted it.

"Jerky?" he blinked. He was surprised the see the small, orange ball of fur hanging from his tail.

He gave Malcho a smile. He noticed his little chest was heaving up and down. _The little rodent must have tried to catch up with me._ He thought, looking at the tuckered out mouse.

Quickly, his surprise turned into anger, but it was mild, though his annoyance was easily noticed. "What are you doing here, Jerky?" Malcho demanded while Jerky pulled himself up on his tail, still catching his breath. "I told you to stay by Alisha's side no matter what. What part of that did you not — ow!"

Jerky suddenly kicked Malcho hard in the snout with all his might, cutting him off. He rubbed the spot where he had attacked him and listened to every furious squeak that came out of Jerky's mouth.

His squeaks went into patterns of insults and demands. Such as: "You stupid snake, do you have any idea how worried I've been about you? Idiot! How could you just go and fly off like that?"

Squeak, after squeak, and after squeak. Malcho only listened in silence, glowering at the orange mouse-beast.

His yelling lasted for about two minutes. Finally, Jerky glared at the serpent with burning gold eyes.

"Are you done?" Malcho asked, raising a furrowed brow.

Jerky nodded, his glower never going away.

It became a glare off between the two creatures. Their eyes were like two angry sparks fighting to overpower the other. But, shockingly, it was Malcho whose glare was the first to fall as he sighed, defeatedly. _Annoying rodent..._

"Forgive me, Jerky. I had no idea you were so worried about me." The word 'worried' was something he was not use to saying. Let alone hearing it out of another creature's mouth. "And I am sorry I left the way I did, as well. I know it wasn't right, but I…"

Malcho stopped and shook his head, focusing back on his main concern.

"What am I saying? Alisha — Jerky, how is she? Por favor, tell me. Is my amiga alright?" Malcho's concern doubled with each question he asked, as was it noticeable. He feared Jerky's answer would be one of the many things he dreaded.

Now it was Jerky's glare that fell. Instead, it softened on the giant serpent. He couldn't be mad at him, not after hearing that. To his own surprise, Jerky could see Malcho was more worried about Alisha than he thought. Sure he was dumb sometimes, but now that the mouse thought about it, Malcho undoubtedly did it because it was the only way she could get help for that arrow. He did say that his reputation in Agrabah wasn't a good one. If anyone of those guys in the Palace saw him, they probably wouldn't have given Alisha a second thought.

Finally, Jerky answered Malcho with a nod and a tiny smile.

_What a softie._

Malcho put a wing to his chest. "Ah, bueno," he breathed. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that." Then his concern came back as he asked, "Tell me, Alisha is not in any pain, is she?"

Jerky made a wavering motion with his paw, a way of saying 'mild'.

Malcho let another breath out through his nostrils. He felt his worry slowly descend to a tolerable level. At least it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, Malcho needed to be thankful for that.

He heard Jerky squeak something else, and Malcho's brow rose in surprise.

"She's worried about me?"

The mouse nodded, and then squeaked again.

"She's very worried about me?"

Malcho's head shifted slightly to the side, his eyes falling to the city. "Caramba…why is Alisha worried about me when she is the one who was nearly killed?"

He heard Jerky again.

"Si, I know it is because she cares about me…I understand that full well. But she should care more about getting better than wasting her time fretting over me."

Though he said this as coldly as he could, deep down…Malcho was touched. Alisha, just struck with an arrow, and she was worried about _him, _the whole reason she was hurt in the first place.

_When…?_ Malcho thought, tightening his wing into a fist at his side. _When, damn it all, when is she going to learn to start thinking about herself?_

Jerky stared incredulously at Malcho. _He really does care about Alisha._ In the beginning, he thought Alisha and Malcho had no other choice but to talk to each other, since they were both stuck on the same oasis. Not to mention the fact that Malcho didn't _exactly _look nor acted like the caring type. He always seemed uncaring and insensitive, and — Jerky hated to use the word, but — a little vain.

There was actually a point where he wondered: Why would someone like Alisha _ever_ want anything to do with someone like Malcho? Alisha was kind, while Malcho was cruel. She was tender, while he was rough. And she was warm, while he was cold.

But Jerky finally understood now. He could see why Alisha cared for this snake so much.

She could see, even through those thick scales, a heart.

A heart that could, no matter how ice solid he tried to make it, be so warm.

Jerky could see it when Malcho allowed Alisha to comfort him that night, when he saved him from those jackals, and, out of everything else, when he cried for Alisha.

Jerky knew now that it was like she had said: if that isn't kind, then what is?

He reached out to put a paw on Malcho wing. When he looked, the mouse was giving him a smile with bright eyes. He squeaked, and then pointed down to the Palace.

"Go see her?"

Jerky nodded. But his smile fell when Malcho turned his head away.

"I cannot." He said. "Not yet."

With his ears flattened in disappointment, Jerky squeaked the question of "why?"

Malcho mouth opened to answer, but he didn't know how nor where to begin. Did he actually care what this rodent thought of him? This lowly and annoying little vermin? These emotions were beginning to get the better of him….

He swallowed and tried again. "Because…it's better if Alisha focuses on her recovery than her concern for me." Malcho finally answered. "And I want you to make sure of that."

Jerky looked at him with question.

"If Alisha starts to think about me, do something to grab her attention," Malcho explained, "or if she mentions me, change the subject. Make sure she focuses on getting better, Jerky. _Comprender?_"

With a sigh, he nodded. Then, along with his ears, Jerky's head hung low.

Malcho's expression softened on the little creature. He may be an annoying pest at times, but that heart of Jerky's was always in the right place. Malcho, necessarily, had no idea what to do at this moment. Comforting others was not exactly his specialty, especially with smaller creatures. Back in the rain forest, he always use to, occasionally, scare and hunt tinier animals that were the same height as Jerky's for fun. So consoling one of them was far beyond his capability.

Suddenly, it came to him. Malcho extended a feather out like a long, dark finger and gently patted the top of Jerky's head. He loved it when Alisha petted him. She always knew where to pet and where to scratch him, and Jerky would purr his little purr, his way of telling her to keep going.

The little mouse looked up at the serpent with surprise. This was new…. Normally, petting him would be the last thing Malcho would do. Alisha asked him to try it one time while the three of them were still at the oasis, and Malcho declined by saying, "That rodent looks like its carrying more than just diseases," in a very Malcho-like attitude.

Jerky almost couldn't believe this was still Malcho right now. But he knew and understood what the snake was doing, and he purred. His feather wasn't as soft as Alisha's were, because of his scales, but the gentleness was still there.

"Don't worry." Malcho assured the little mouse, stroking his head, "I will be close by. If you need me, I will not be far."

* * *

With Jerky holding on to his head, Malcho flew back to the Palace. Quietly, he landed back in the garden, hiding himself deep under the cover of the trees. Last time he was in Agrabah, these trees had been Malcho's hiding place before, and like last time, he was grateful they were there.

He gently placed Jerky on the ground, but the mouse-beast turned back to him. Malcho motioned his head towards the Palace. Jerky nodded and scurried away, sneaking his way inside through a window.

He was all alone now…

Once again, Malcho felt that void which only seemed to bother him when he was completely alone. But he knew it well. He had felt it many, many times during his life, and nothing seemed to fill it. No matter how hard he tried to make it go away, it was always there. To Malcho, it was a pestering demon that refused to leave him in peace. A pestering demon that shared every moment of the serpent's life. Even all those years ago, when Malcho possessed the powers of the medallion, he still felt empty. As though there was an important part of him missing. And as his years progressed, the void only seemed to deepen more and more.

How, Malcho use to wonder, how? When I have everything I can ever want and still feel this cursed emptiness!? How!? Not even having all of that glorious power was able to fill it. That was when it began to drive him insane on the inside. He was wise to never show it in front of the other beasts of the rain forest, but when he was alone? Malcho wanted to bash his head into a wall as he tried to understand why the pestering demon never left him alone. It only seemed to enjoy watching him suffer and cruelly made the crater to widen profoundly.

Malcho, his eyes shutting, put a wing to his chest, the location of the gaping void. There had to be a reason he was feeling this. And there had to be a reason he was feeling it now.

_Strange, _the serpent thought, _I hardly noticed it when I was with…_

_Alisha…_

Once again, it all cycled back to his arpía. This time, he wasn't surprised, but he found himself in a realization. As if the emotions that surged through him when that arrow hit the arpia wasn't enough, now all of this? But Malcho didn't blame Alisha. None of it was her fault.

"Alisha," Malcho whispered her name, looking to the Palace with a pair of glowing, green and yellow eyes. "I wish you can tell me what you've done to me." Then he gave a humored chuckle that lasted only for minute. "Then again, I doubt you understand better than I do."

Malcho paused for a moment. His face reverted back into its solemn form. He imagined her standing in front of him as he spoke, watching him with those emerald-colored eyes that left him speechless if he gazed into them for too long.

"Alisha, I…I am so sorry for putting you through all of this. That arrow must have been so painful. I cringe just thinking about it. And I am sorry that I am making you worry, truly mi amiga, I am. You see, it's just I don't want you to see me like this. I couldn't bear it if you saw me so weak, confused, and pathetic. To be honest, Alisha, you are actually the last person I want to be seen by like this…"

Weak, confused, and pathetic. Those words fit the serpent perfectly at the moment.

"If only you knew how…how happy you have made me, Alisha. You are so kind and I only wish I could return it. But instead I made you take an arrow for me."

It pained Malcho to say that. Like someone shot _him _with an arrow as that sentence came out of his mouth. But he still went on, telling himself he needed to. Maybe, he figured, to prepare himself to saying it all to the real Alisha.

"Alisha, I…_I _deserved that arrow. Not you. I should be the one recovering from it. You didn't…no, you do not deserve _any _of this. Your pain, your worries — all of it."

Malcho stopped for a moment. "…You were so foolish, amiga! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? That is why I told you to run, because if anything would have happened to you, I…I…" He was lost.

He had reached far beyond the limit of his words.

Or was it fear that muffled them? Fear was the only emotion he could recall that night the hunters attacked. Fear for his life, fear for the rodent's life, and fear for Alisha's life. And it was because of fear that Malcho lost all the strength he had. He allowed it to consume him, weaken him. It was so strong that he gave into those hunters, allowing them to overpower him. He was so pathetic! He was Malcho the Great! He fell to the mercy of no creature! Malcho was the predator, _never _the prey!

...And one little harpy was more couragous than he could ever be in that moment. Alisha was willing to give her life up for Malcho's, even though she had more to live for than he did. And she did it because she cared about him. Because he was her amigo, and she was his amiga. In her eyes, Malcho's life was more valuable than hers in that moment. But it wasn't in Malcho's eyes. It was the other way around. Alisha had someone to return home to, while he had absolutely nothing. And, even knowing that, Alisha still protected him, when there wasn't a thing about him worth protecting.

Malcho was cruel, vain, unforgiving, a narcissist, and a tyrant...what was there inside of him that was worth protecting?

He remembered, then, what she had said to him...the word that took Malcho aback. "Kind..." the serpent echoed. Was there really kindness inside of him? Maybe a tiny speck that survived over the years? A speck that was too small for him to see...but not too small for Alisha's eyes...

Now that he thought about it, Alisha was the only person who actually made Malcho feel everything that he felt. One new emotion after another. And she was the only person who understood him, who enjoyed his company, who made the blood rush to his scales, and so many other things that made him speechless. But, what he noticed the most, was how...warm he felt when he was beside her. A warmth that startled him, yet amazed him at the same time. It was so new. And there were moments where he never wanted to stop feeling it.

The more he thought about it, the deeper the blood warmed in his face. Malcho's brow rose, and he shook his head. Something, somewhere, felt odd deep inside of him. He didn't feel right. Malcho had never felt so many emotions in his life! First he was worried about Alisha, then he was relieved to learn that she was alright, was at a cross between angry and touched finding out that, after everything that poor arpía went through, Alisha was concerned for him, and now…now he wasn't sure what else to feel…

All Malcho really knew were two things. First, Alisha truly was his friend. A very kind and loyal friend. A friend that someone like Malcho…did not deserve.

And second…

He missed her. He missed her so much. He wanted to talk with her again, to tell her stories of his adventures while she listened, and ask her about her life, no matter how simple it seemed. Malcho wanted to hear her sing that heavenly lullaby again — he wanted it all back to the way it was before.

Malcho began to long for that tiny oasis. He began to long for all those days he spent with Alisha, wishing he could go back to every last one of them.

Sadly, the Quetzalcoatl knew those days were long gone. Returning to them was impossible now. Malcho was in the very walls of his enemies' home. And Alisha, unaware of the events that took place here, would learn of them, sooner or later. He knew that will be the day all of his inner fears become a reality.

To hear her say, _"I hate you!" _And never want to see him again. Malcho almost gave a laugh. How ironic…Malcho the Great, who never cared to be hated or loved, now dreaded to be resented by a tiny arpía. After hearing those words "I hate you!" so many times from so many different mouths, if Alisha were to say them, then Malcho would break. Only because _she _said it. His amiga...

Malcho looked up to the sky, then. He saw dawn's light flowing across the black blanket of the night, putting a day to rest and bringing forth another to take its place.

* * *

Yet hidden deep, deep in the shadows, far from the sharp eyes of the Quetzalcoatl, stood a man. A man dressed in flowing grey clothes, with long snow-white hair.

A man, who wore a simple blindfold, and was possibly as old as time itself.

"Such troubled hearts," the blind man mused. He had been observing both the serpent and the young harpy for quite some time now, and he felt such sorrow for them. One, he could see, was just as troubled as the other.

"I fear to say that their troubles are only just beginning."

Two hearts…both unaware of the dreadful future he could see before them….

* * *

R&R please:)


	10. Chapter 10: An Unexpected Guest

**Disclaimer****: I do not own any of the original Aladdin characters, nor do I own the settings involved with them. I only own Alisha, Jerky, Zadesh, Sabin, Brone, and Daniel.**

Enjoy. R&R

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

An Unexpected Guest

Two days passed. There were still no signs of Malcho anywhere. It was as if he had fallen off the face of the earth. And poor Alisha worried and worried.

She didn't give up, though. The harpy still kept her hopes high. The night before, Alisha gazed out a window and searched for a sign of the Quetzalcoatl in the sky. She had no idea how long she stared out that window, waiting. Jasmine just assumed she was gradually getting use to her new surroundings. She would frequently ask her if she was all right and Alisha would respond with a smile and a nod of assurance. Then she would go back to looking out the window. But Jerky knew she was lying.

He watched the harpy like the loyal friend he was. With Malcho's words echoing in his mind, the mouse did whatever he could to think of ways to try and take Alisha's mind off the serpent, such as bringing her food he knew she'd like. And when that didn't work, he would convince her to explore different parts of the palace. Jasmine and Genie would give them the tours, of course. The last thing the harpy or the mouse wanted was to get lost in such a giant building. They would have had to have sent a search party to find them.

As more days passed, Alisha learned the names of everyone who lived in the palace; Princess Jasmine, soon to inherit the throne from her father, the Sultan. He was a very cheery man, with a smile that seemed to radiate that merriment on to whoever he beamed it at. Then there was Genie, but he wasn't hard to forget. How could anyone forget such an up-beat, energetic, and whacky person like him? Abu, the monkey; Jerky got along with him very well. They both had something in common: sticky fingers. He even befriended Jasmine's pet tiger Raja.

The harpy found it strange for a few minutes, until she thought to herself, _Then again, my best friend is a giant snake with wings._ She was glad to see Jerky was getting along with other creatures.

Jasmine told her all about Aladdin. She told her how they were engaged to be married, how they met and fell in love, nearly everything. Then Genie told her about Carpet, or 'the rug man', and how he always defeated him at games. It was one story after another with those two. And Alisha was fascinated by every one of them.

She met the guards and their Captain, Razoul. He intimidated Alisha in about a second. His muscles bulged out from under his outfit, looking down at her with only a raised brow. He towered over her, making the harpy feel as tiny as a mouse. Their meeting was brief, and as she and Jasmine walked away, Alisha couldn't help but imagine what would happen if Malcho ever met Razoul. A chill went up her back and she immediately put the thought in the back of her mind.

…Then there was Iago. And Alisha thought _Malcho _talked a lot! Iago, it seemed, always had something to say. He also clearly had no interest in the harpy. She noticed it when everyone was introducing themselves and trying to make Alisha feel at home, Iago simply perched himself a spot on the table and grabbed whatever food his grubby feathers could get, completely ignoring her presence.

Though aside from the rude bird, Alisha…felt welcomed. It almost seemed too good to be true. She couldn't recall a single time when she sat around a table eating with other people that were doing their best to make her happy, or when she was greeted with such warmth and compassion. These people barely knew her, but they still welcomed her with open arms. All of it took the harpy aback.

_They're doing it all…for me? _Thinking it even seemed unbelievable to Alisha. These strangers, these humans, were being…kind to her. They didn't laugh at her, stare at her, or point at her. And most of all, none of them looked upon her with fear or disgust. Instead, it was as if she was just like them. That she was…

…Human.

Another day came and went. The Sultan had to leave for very important business, leaving Jasmine in charge while he was absent.

Alisha could feel the wound on her back healing as time progressed. It still stung whenever she made the wrong movement, but it was nothing more than a pinch.

"It will leave a scar, but it should heal up very soon." Jasmine said to her as she wrapped the new bandages around her chest. She had just rubbed her arrow wound with a strong herbal ointment.

Alisha could smell its bitter scent. When Jasmine first rubbed it on her, the scent was so strong it made her cough. It reeked a rotten stink, like dead fish. And it was cold and slimy against her skin, giving her shivers. To Alisha's dismay, it had to be applied on her back every twenty four hours. But after the first day, Alisha became use to it, and dreaded the ointment less.

"That's good to hear." Alisha said, feeling the bandages hug her tightly. And it was a relief to hear indeed. Despite the fact that it would scar, the wound was healing. And, hopefully, so would the memory of the hunters.

If you were to see Alisha now, you would notice how different she looked. You would even say she looked healthy. Alisha ate all that she could to gain weight her body desperately needed. She no longer looked like a skeleton. The dark rings under her eyes were gone after catching up on some rest; the green in them never gleamed brighter. Jasmine had also given her a brush with thick bristles so that she could comb her hair and keep it healthy. It had grown out beautifully after a couple of days, forming around her face while still revealing her eyes.

The Princess had also bought the harpy new clothes since her other ones were far too old and dirty to wear, or how Iago had put it, more like she was wearing colorful rags. For once, Alisha actually agreed with the bird. In fact, she was more than happy to get rid of them. Out with the old and in with the new, she thought.

Her new clothes were the color of aquamarine. Though they were designed like her old ones, they were different. There was only one sleeveless strap that came over her left shoulder and down the rest of her waist. A dark-blue, silk belt tied around the waist of her blue pants, which were not as baggy as her last pair.

As soon as Alisha slipped them on and looked herself in the mirror, she couldn't turn away. The harpy stared at her reflection with awe. The color of her clothes just seemed to bring out the emerald in her eyes, making the color burst vivaciously. And the first thing she said was, "Oh my gosh…I have a figure now!"

If the harpy was dreaming, then she never wanted to be awakened.

Alisha sat there on Jasmine's bed, her new shirt by her side, waiting for her to finish up with the bandages. But as the Princess did, she found herself staring, not at the arrow wound, but at the slashes on her back.

Jasmine noticed them since that night Alisha came to them, after they extracted the arrow from her back and cleaned and wrapped her up.

The slashes were only a finger long and a shade lighter than Alisha's skin. There were only three, but they were enough to snatch her attention with alarm.

Jasmine had to stare at these scars for so many days and always she wanted to say something, but she never knew how to start. Alisha had gained enough courage to tell her of her mother here in Agrabah and that she didn't know how to fly, but she never mentioned these slashes, or where she came from before coming here.

It didn't make Jasmine suspicious of the harpy, but it did concern her.

"Is something wrong, Jasmine?" Alisha asked, turning her head to look at the suddenly silenced Princess.

With a quick blink, Jasmine snapped out of her thoughts. She noticed she'd stopped in the middle of wrapping the bandages around Alisha's chest.

"O-oh, sorry Alisha." She quickly went back to wrapping.

"It's all right," Alisha assured, "you just got really quiet back there for a minute."

"I was just thinking…"

"'Bout what?" the curious harpy asked.

It took the Princess a minute to answer her. Was it really her place to ask? Then again, what would it look like if she didn't?

With a snip of the scissors, Jasmine finished with the bandages. Then she stood up and sat on the bed beside her, still quiet.

Alisha, with her eyes on her, waited patiently for the Princess to speak. It was obvious something was troubling her, but what?

"…Alisha," Jasmine's chocolate eyes met her gaze. The harpy saw the worry inside them as she seemed to think about how to say what she wanted to get out.

"Those scars on your back," Jasmine finally began, her voice soft, "where are those from?"

She blinked at the question, and then fell silent herself. In a flash, as the question sunk in, memories came to Alisha like a flood. Dark memories of those cold and heartless days…

Her eyes lowered with her head. She felt the weight of Jasmine's stare. Yet, miraculously, Alisha's voice did not try to hide. Even though the chilling fear of that man crawled up her skin, like a venomous spider preparing to sink its deadly fangs into her throat if she spoke, Alisha would not be silent. Not by the memories, and not by the fear deep inside her.

"These scars," at last, Alisha began, solemnly, "were caused by a human…a very cruel and greedy human. What he did…was the reason I finally found the courage to run away."

"Run away?" Jasmine repeated. "You mean he held you captive?"

"Yes," Alisha nodded, "for a very long time. Those years with him felt more like centuries. A single day was like a year. He made my life a misery."

Then, wearily, Jasmine asked, "What did he do that made you decide to leave?"

Silence befell Alisha again. With a wing, she put it over her shoulder, where the tips of one of her scars were. She closed her eyes and could see it all.

And she began…

_**XXX**_

"Let's give them a show, shall we?"

Zadesh's smile made Alisha cower in her cage. She watched with round eyes as he unlocked the door with the key and listened as it opened with a loud, dragging, metallic creek.

He stood by the door and pointed out to the crowd, ordering her to come out. But Alisha refused to move, shaking her head fearfully. Zadesh didn't tolerate it. He stepped in and grabbed her by the gruff of her collar and tossed Alisha out. She hit the hard floor, too weak and exhausted from lack of sleep to catch herself from falling.

The stage they were on had only two long candle stands that stood on either sides of it. Each stand held three candle sticks that illuminated it all. As Alisha looked up, her hair falling in her face, she saw hundreds of eyes that were directed at her. Though she was on a wooden stage that was only chest high, the audience in the front row still gasped in surprise and jumped back. Her eyes were as wide and filled with alarm as theirs were. The front row of people she could see clearly, but the people in the back were shadowy figures that moved about, whispering to each other like the people in front of her did.

Normally, because she was too far away, Alisha could never hear what they whispered about her. And she preferred it that way. She would gladly live the rest of her life not knowing what they were saying. But now, to her despair, she caught every word. And not a single sentence was missed.

"Look at her!"

"She's hideous!"

"How puny, am I right?"

"Look at those feet! Are those even feet?"

"Get a load of those wings—I wonder how much gold you can make with them…"

"She's filthy! And her hair is a mess!"

"She _is _a mess!"

"She's a monster."

It was one after another.

Alisha felt her heart begin to pound. Her body was immobilized as she gazed out to the sea of humans, listening to more comments and cruel remarks about her. Some pointed while others laughed, and other people simply sat there, watching her. Some even exited the tent, unable to look at the monster any longer. Children cried and looked away.

With her chest heaving up and down, Alisha was clueless as to what would happen next.

In a heartbeat, it struck her — literally struck her! Her piercing cry silenced everyone and they gazed at the stage with apprehension, covering their ears as her loud voice filled the entire tent. A sudden pain had stung her right shoulder, bouncing off as quickly as it hit. But the strong sting lasted, traveling up and down her back and to her side. Alisha doubled over, cringing and wincing with her chest heaving up and down. The pain caused tears to well up in her eyes, the sting dragging on longer and longer.

Shaking, Alisha looked up. Standing beside her was Zadesh, simply watching her with that disturbing smile of entertainment. There was something in his hand, she noticed, and she followed it down. Her eyes rounded at what she found.

Clasped tightly in his grip was a long, black whip.

Alisha looked back at him, gazing at the man in fear and alarm. He actually…physically harmed her…!

"Notice how she feels pain, just like we do." His voice went out to the audience but his eyes never left the harpy. "It just proves to show that not all monsters are indestructible. That even creatures like this one aren't immune to pain like we think."

_CRACK!_

He swung his arm and hit Alisha again, this time in the middle of her back. Alisha screamed, unable to hold it back. It carried as loud as her last one did. Her heavy, burning tears fell as she hung her head low, catching her breath.

_This is all really happening. _Oh, but how she wished it wasn't. How she wished these were all just images of her tormented mind. But alas, none of these were imaginations. The ridicule and the pain were both real, as real as everything else in here….

Zadesh dealt the third and final lash. Alisha, after letting out her last cry, collapsed. Broken at last… Her back screamed at the stinging pain that consumed it, from her skin to what felt like the bone. She was still and silent. The lashes were strong enough to cut through her shirt, leaving three bloody gashes.

Her eyes seemed to gaze far past the sea of people, yet lying there, she still saw their expressions.

Some were in shock, while others seemed surprise. And then there were the others that were mixtures of both, as if they had no idea _how _to react.

These expressions were no strangers to Alisha, but somehow, they still managed to astonish her every chance they had.

Her gaze shifted, then. She confronted the black eyes of Zadesh. They sucked her up like a black hole, and within them, Alisha saw an endless void of emptiness, where no hurt and no comfort could be found.

Nothing…

These eyes were the eyes of a man impervious to remorse. A man that cared nothing for her or of her pain. A man that had no heart to way him down.

These eyes were the eyes of Zadesh. Only Zadesh…

_**XXX**_

Alisha opened her eyes, then. She drew her wing away from the scar and from the memory that slept within it.

Jasmine was silent. She stared at the harpy with shock, taken aback.

"How…?" the Princess began after a minute, "how could anyone do such a thing?"

Alisha shook her head slowly. "I don't know. Maybe because of what I am."

"What do you mean what you are?"

Alisha looked at her. Her green eyes were like a sea, filled with shame and sorrow. Then she turned away, refusing to let the emotions in her eyes be seen. Tears gleamed in them, but they never fell.

"Because…why should a human feel sympathy for a monster?"

Silence fell upon the harpy and the Princess; Alisha, hushed by the painful memories, and Jasmine, hushed by Alisha's statement.

"…But what I do know," Alisha said, breaking the silence. She turned back to Jasmine, her somberness and pain brimming in her gaze as she said, "I'm never going back."

Nothing would make her go back — absolutely nothing. Alisha would sooner die than let her life slowly rot away with Zadesh in that cage. With him, she might as well _be _dead.

* * *

The Princess and Alisha shook off their conversation when dinner came around.

As usual, Alisha enjoyed every bit of food Genie made. And she used her table manners this time, using her utensils as she ate the slices of ham on her plate.

"So, how's the ham, Aly?" he asked.

She swallowed. "Amazing as always, Genie." She smiled. "You've outdone yourself again."

"Aww, well thank you. I _was _going to make chicken, but a certain mouse and a certain tiger — both shall remain nameless — decided to help themselves."

All eyes shifted to the corner where a half eaten chicken lay between Raja and Jerky. The tiger effortlessly ripped a chunk off while the mouse-beast nibbled on his own piece. They ignored Genie's dagger glare and continued to eat the poultry with greedy grins on their whiskered faces.

Alisha exhaled a defeated sigh. "Again, I am so sorry about that, Genie." She apologized, looking back at him. "Jerky has a really bad habit of stealing. I thought it would stop eventually, but you know what they say: old habits die hard."

When Genie continued to glare at the gorging beasts, Alisha smiled with a piece of ham on her fork. "But, hey, at least you ham is good, right?"

"She's right, Genie." Jasmine tried to assure him with Alisha. "It's wonderful. And I'm sure your chicken would have been just as good."

Alisha nodded in agreement.

Then (of course) Iago had to add, "Raja and Jerky sure seem to think so."

Jasmine was about to scold him until, suddenly, a new voice that called out to her.

"Jasmine!"

Alisha watched as a smile blossomed on the Princess's face. In fact, every head perked up at the voice. The harpy, confused, looked at them all. A question mark practically appeared over her head.

With her smile beaming, Jasmine got up from the table. "Aladdin!" she called back, and started running for the balcony that was to the far right of them.

Alisha stood up to stop her when something actually zoomed in from it. She stopped, stunned by what she was seeing. A golden trimmed, purple rug was _flying _in the air! All on its own! And there was someone on top of it.

Alisha recognized his face; black hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, and a red cap on his head.

The rug stopped, _floating _beside Jasmine. The young man leaped off and took her in his arms. Their embrace seemed so strong that it looked like nothing could tear them apart.

"I missed you." Jasmine's voice was softer than the chime of a tiny bell.

"And I missed you." The boy said back, his voice just as soft.

Then, tenderly, he tilted her chin up. Alisha's face, which turned a bright pink at their embrace, now felt it darken into a red as she watched their lips touch. The harpy could only blink at the couple, like a shy child. Her wings rested against her chest. She knew what that was all right.

Love.

Over the time she spent here, Alisha gained no ill feelings towards the Princess. But, as she and the handsome boy kissed, the harpy couldn't help but feel a sort of…envy stir up inside of her chest.

Finally, Alisha had to look away, hoping it would go away if she did.

She heard Genie's voice. "So, how was the village, Al? Did you find the thieves that kept stealing their food?"

"Ah, just a group of sand goblins," he answered. "Fighting them was easy compared to building the trap to lure them in. But they won't be bothering the villagers anymore."

"Sand goblins, they terrorize one village and they think they own it." Iago said. "They're barbaric, I tell you."

Curiously, Alisha looked up. They were all grouped together — Genie, Jasmine, Abu, and Iago — around the young man, asking him more questions about the village and the goblins. As she studied the expressions on their faces, something felt familiar to Alisha. Two actually: one of her and her mother, and the other of…of the three of them.

Of her, Malcho, and Jerky, back when their lives were simple at the oasis. Their faces were just like that: happy and content, as though they were living in their own little world.

Alisha's shoulders fell a little, as did her expression.

But her melancholy turned into shock and surprise in record breaking time as the rug suddenly stepped, er, floated into her line of view. The harpy gasped and jumped maybe three feet off the ground.

Seeing he startled her, Carpet lowered himself to the ground, moving his tassels as a way of saying, "Don't be scared, I'm a friend."

Alisha, however, only gave him a perplexed stare.

"Oh, that's right," Jasmine's voice grabbed Alisha's attention. Hand in hand, she and the boy walked over to her and Carpet. "Alisha, this is Aladdin," she told her. Then she looked at the boy, "Aladdin, this is Alisha."

"Nice to see you're alright." He told her, and then he put his hand out, giving Alisha that grin she remembered from the photo.

The harpy glanced from his smile to his hand and then to his smile again. The last time she shook someone's hand her wing nearly popped off. But, hesitantly, she took it. Thankfully it wasn't at all like Genie's hand shake; they shook once and he let go.

Phew, she inwardly sighed, a handshake that didn't almost knock me off my feet.

"I was worried about you while I was gone." Aladdin told her. "I had to leave the day after we found you, which was why I asked Genie to stay here in case anything happened."

Alisha blinked, surprised by what she just heard. _He was worried about me? But he…he doesn't even know —_

It was then the purple rug held a tassel out to her. Alisha pulled her wing away, her surprise switching to confusion. She glanced at Aladdin and Jasmine, silently asking what this thing wanted.

"Carpet's just trying to say hello, Alisha." Jasmine assured her. "It's all right. He was very worried about you when he left with Aladdin."

Her brow rose, "'He'?"

Carpet's tassels folded against his sides, giving off an agitated aura that was obvious to the harpy.

"Uh, sorry," she apologized. Then she slowly reached her wing out, letting his tassel take it, and they shook.

Jerky showed up not a second later, jumping on Alisha's shoulder and studying the rug. He gazed at Carpet, and he seemed to gaze back. Both were fascinated by each other. The mouse put a paw out, going to touch the lively rug, when Carpet, wanting to get a closer look at Jerky, lifted himself in the air.

Jerky squeaked in alarm and darted behind Alisha, hiding under the cover of her long hair.

Again her eyes widened. But, instead of fear, her eyes filled with startle and wonder.

"H-How can he do that?" Alisha asked in a stutter. She wasn't sure whether to be frightened or enthralled. Nothing was keeping the rug in the air! Alisha had never seen something such a thing before.

"He's a Magic Carpet, "Aladdin explained. "Believe me I was just as shocked as you are when we first met."

"Oh that's not even the half of it! The Rug Man can also play Old Maid, chess, croquet…"

Alisha drowned out what Genie was saying as a new found wonder took over her. "Magic…" she mumbled.

She extended her wing out to Carpet, but she stopped it just an inch in front of him, hesitant. But Carpet closed the tiny gap between them and allowed Alisha to touch him.

Her excitement beamed. "That's so amazing. I thought you only needed wings to fly."

Carpet moved in a motion that was easy for her to understand, as if he was shaking his head in disagreement, if he had a head, anyway.

The harpy pulled her wing away. "You're really lucky. You know that, Carpet."

This caught the floating rug's attention. He noticed a strange look in the harpy's face. There was an emotion that she was hiding behind it, but Carpet couldn't place it.

But, for a second, he could have sworn he saw a little envy in those emerald eyes of hers. Not a dark envy, but a very, very sad one…

"…And baseball, and video games, and —"

"She gets it already!" Iago silenced Genie with his screechy shout. "Now, can we all just please get back to eating?"

"Sounds great," Aladdin said. "I'm starving."

In minutes, everyone was back to eating around the table. More questions were asked to Aladdin about the village he saved from the thieving sand goblins. He explained that their food and crops were being stolen at night. With the help of a villager, Aladdin lured a trap for them and fought them all. He went on to saying he spent a few extra days there to make sure they didn't come back, and they never did.

"And the villagers?" Jasmine asked, concerned.

"They're all safe." He answered. "I returned everything that was stolen from them. And I told them that Agrabah would help supply them with anything that they needed."

Next to Jasmine, sitting at the end of the table, was Alisha. She had listened to everything Aladdin had said. Deep down she was surprised. _He did all of that for those villagers? Even though he doesn't know them?_

Suddenly, Aladdin's optimism changed into a deep somber. Everyone noticed except Alisha, who was taking a drink from her glass of water.

"Although, I did spot something strange on my way back," he said. All eyes went to him. "Guys, I think Malcho is loose."

The room filled with shocked gasps. The second his name came out of his mouth, Alisha was so surprised she forgot to swallow. The water then decided to take its own route down the wrong tube. The harpy coughed, covering her mouth.

Jasmine spun around towards her. "Are you alright, Alisha?"

With another quick but rough cough, Alisha nodded. "Mhmm," was the only thing she could respond with.

As soon as she responded, everyone focused back on Aladdin.

"Are you sure, Al?" the change in Genie's demeanor worried the harpy. This was the first time she'd seen him serious.

Aladdin confirmed with a nod, crossing his arms as he did. "I'm positive. Carpet and I checked. All the lava in the volcano we trapped him in hardened, and in the very heart of it was a giant hole. There's not a doubt he got out. I don't know how, but he did."

"But if he got out," worry filled Jasmine's voice, "then that means he could be here in Agrabah somewhere."

Sleeping off the chicken by Raja, Jerky's eyes had snapped open when he heard Malcho's name. He bit his lip, his ears bending against his skull. _Uh oh…this isn't looking good…_ If they knew he was in their backyard, the little mouse knew it would be chaotic. He listened intently.

"Planning to finish what he started before!" exclaimed panic-struck Iago, "Turning me into his dinner!"

Immediately, her brow went up at the terrified bird's statement, "You? But why?" she asked, confused.

For once, Alisha wasn't playing dumb. She was truly confused. Why would Malcho…?

_Si, I…have some business to attend there._

"Let's just say," Iago explained, "that Malcho is the type of guy that NEVER let's go of a grudge. And when I say NEVER, I mean: _NEVER!_"

Genie stepped in. "He's right, Aly. Malcho's bad news. When Iago, Abu, and I first met him, that loco snake was bent on world domination, starting with us."

Alisha's eyes rounded, "World domination?"

"And he would have gotten away with it, too." The parrot told her. "But, with _my _talents, I banished him to the Frozen North."

The harpy was too shocked by what she was being told that she, for once, didn't roll her eyes at Iago's horn tooting.

_I had a little…problem in Agrabah a while ago._

Aladdin added, "Then Malcho somehow escaped and hunted Iago down. He tried to kill him twice."

"Ahem. _Three._"

Aladdin rolled his eyes. "Like I was saying, Malcho stopped at nothing to get to Iago. So with the help of Razoul and the other guards, we were able to trick and imprison him in a volcano."

Alisha watched in silence as his face changed, the solemn inside and outside growing.

"If we hadn't stopped him, then who knows what kind of destruction he could have caused…"

Alisha's eyes fell to the floor, her body becoming like a statue. _No. _The harpy thought. _No. That…none of that can be true. Malcho would never do any of those things. Never…!_

Razoul stepped into the room. "Your majesty," he said, bowing his head, "you have a guest. He is requesting your presence."

"Oh, all right." Jasmine responded, a little surprised by the news. "Please, bring him in and tell him I'll be just a minute."

The Captain nodded. "Yes, your highness." And he exited the room.

Quickly, the Princess finished her food, and then she stood up, starting for the door.

"I'll be right back, guys." She told them, and then she was gone.

* * *

When Jasmine stepped into the throne room, her gaze went directly to the guests that waited for her patiently. There were four of them; a very skinny man, with a much larger and rounder man by his side, along with a younger man wearing a tan vest and brown pants that hugged his knees with long, golden, curly-tipped shoes.

And then there was the other man…

He snatched her attention much quicker than the other three did; his black eyes found Jasmine's the moment she walked into the room, widening as he looked her over from head to toe. Then he smiled at the Princess, almost grinning, actually. Jasmine had seen that grin hundreds of times; that flirtatious and charming grin.

"Ah, your highness."

He moved in long strides towards Jasmine's direction, his cane tapping with the rhythm of his steps. As he grew closer, she got a better look at the man. A white, low cut shirt covered his chest as a garnet belt tied around his waist was holding up his purple stripped pants. While a sleeveless, black overcoat hung around his legs, fanning as he walked.

"Princess Jasmine," her name smoothly slid off his tongue. Then, after removing the black and red hat off the top of his orange head, bowed before her. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jasmine smiled back, "As am I. And you are?"

"Zadesh, your majesty." He answered, rising from his bow. "My name is Zadesh."

Though she smiled, an eerie feeling crept inside of Jasmine. She didn't feel it until his eyes locked on to hers, engulfing her in that dark stare. She knew not to express it, fearful she would insult her guest.

Zadesh nodded to the other men behind him. "Those three are my companions. The skinny one is Sabin, next to him is Brone, and the blonde would be Daniel. We just arrived in your city yesterday, and we were wondering if you could be so kind as to help us find someone."

"Oh?"

Zadesh nodded. She watched him bite his lip, his head falling low. Worry was all she could hear in his voice.

"Someone very important to me is gone and we've been looking high and low for her, but we can't find her anywhere. I thought maybe there was a chance she would be here."

When he lifted his head, Jasmine studied his face. This man looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"The four of us have asked everyone in Agrabah, but no one has seen her." Zadesh held his hat closer to his chest. "Please Princess, you must help me. She's such a fragile little thing, you see. I-I can't eat and I can't sleep knowing she's out there all alone… If anything were to happen to her, I couldn't live with myself."

Then his head fell again, his hands beginning to tremble.

Jasmine blinked at him. A little guilt started to weigh down on her shoulders. Maybe she judged this man far too soon. He seemed sincerely worried about this person.

_She must mean a lot to him. _She thought, placing a hand on her chest.

"Don't worry, Zadesh." Jasmine consoled, putting a hand gently on his arm. "I promise, I will do all that I can to find her."

Zadesh lifted his head, gazing at the Princess with a gleam in his eyes. His smile was a touched smile, brimming with sincerity.

"Oh, thank you so much, your highness. You are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside."

"I am just happy to help. Now, what is her name? And I will need a description of her so that we can start searching."

"Yes, yes," he nodded. "I fully understand, Princess. The person I am looking for, her name is Alisha."

Jasmine's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly after hearing the harpy's name. "A-Alisha?" she repeated. "Is that what you said?"

Zadesh confirmed. "That is her name, your majesty. And she will blend into the crowd very easily, with her brown hair, fair skin, and green eyes. But, little do people know, when they look at her there will be one thing that stands out. To the trained eye, that is."

"What is that?"

_Is he really talking about Alisha?_ The Princess inwardly questioned. _Or what if it's just a coincidence? He could be talking about another Alisha that fits that description. Unless…_

Alisha's slashes flashed through the Princess's mind.

What if maybe…he was the human she was talking about?

His eyes narrowed at her silence, and he examined the wide look in her eyes. Zadesh smiled on the inside. Perfect.

He mastered a polite smile as he leaned in a little closer to the Princess, and Zadesh whispered, "Unless…perhaps you've _already _seen my lost Alisha?"

* * *

Alisha lay gently against one of the pillars of the balcony, silently staring outside.

At her feet, different kinds of food lay before her. From fruits to left-over's of the ham. All were given to her by Jerky, struggling to grab her attention with different offers.

"So what do we do when big, bad, and scaly shows up?" Genie asked the group.

He, Aladdin, Iago, Abu, and Carpet were still at the table, devising a plan about how to handle Malcho.

"We'll take him down." Aladdin answered, "Like we always do when a monster attacks us."

Alisha heard that word and winced. Monster…a part of her wanted to defend her friend. To make them take that wretched word back. But there was another part of her told the other to stay quiet.

Of course Malcho was a monster in their eyes. What he did…it was monstrous. There was no other way to put it.

Yet…if Malcho truly was like that…then why was he so gentle with her? Why was he kind and understanding to Alisha? If — _IF_ — Malcho was truly as cruel as they say, then why did he save her that day? Someone evil and malicious would never have done that. He would have just let those two men take her without giving a second thought about it.

The Malcho Alisha knew was nothing like that, and would never do things like that.

…But it all made too much sense. Malcho, looking back, was vague about his intentions here in Agrabah. He hid them behind words like "problem" and "correction", and Alisha was a fool for not making him explain.

She sighed. _Maybe it's better if he doesn't come. I…I hope he stays away! I bet he's half way to his rainforest by now. Where he should stay! And I'll…_

…_I'll never see him again._

That single thought was enough to make the harpy's heart feel like it was being torn in two. But why? She…she never felt that kind of pain before. It was so…odd. Was there…was there possibly another reason that she…?

"Alisha," Jasmine's voice broke the harpy from her thoughts, "someone is here to see you."

The harpy spun around, hoping it was her mother, but who stood beside Jasmine in the doorway — smiling that smile — shoved away every ounce of hope she had.

She froze.

"Alisha," Zadesh started towards her. His black eyes never fell off the harpy for a second.

Suddenly, she felt like she was trapped in one of her nightmares. They always started out like this. Zadesh smiling that terrifyingly composed smile, and Alisha too scared to even breathe. The only sound she heard was from her bouncing heart. And before she knew it…

The gap between them was gone.

He toward over the harpy; Zadesh had to look down while she looked up.

"Oh Alisha," her name passed his lips again, his smile becoming deeper. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright."

Her brow creased in confusion. Did he just say he was _"glad"_ to see her?

"Look at you," Zadesh said, taking a lock of her hair and letting it slowly slip out of his hand strand by strand. "You look so different. New clothes, a hair cut…I almost didn't recognize you for a second."

"…Why are you here?" to Alisha's astonishment she had a voice.

"Why?" he echoed in a chuckle. She felt his hand slip up her wing and rest against her cheek. Alisha tensed under it instinctively.

"For you, of course," he told her. "Why else would I come?"

Alisha blinked. She then felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her close into him. Alisha was beside herself in shock.

Was…was Zadesh embracing her?

"I've been so worried about you, Alisha." He told her softly. "But I knew I would find you — no matter how hopeless it seemed."

Jerky watched this man keenly, as did Jasmine from behind.

"Who's the weirdo in the stupid hat?" Iago whispered when he landed on her shoulder.

"His name is Zadesh," the Princess whispered back. "He says he been looking everywhere for Alisha."

Genie and Aladdin moved beside her.

"But doesn't Aly have a mother waiting for her here in Agrabah?" Genie asked. "She never mentioned this guy."

Jasmine watched every move he made. _Maybe there was a reason why…_

Alisha was tense under his touch. She had no idea how to react, so the harpy just stood there, like a bewildered statue in his arms. What was going on? Was this really Zadesh? But-but he was being so…so kind with her. He was hugging her!

In a heartbeat, she felt his breath against her ear, holding her tighter. But what he said was nothing like what he was saying before.

"Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?" Zadesh whispered. "How many times do I have to remind you that you belong to me? And when you belong to me, running away will only get you into trouble."

Now Alisha began to panic. She knew it! As his arms tightened around her she winced at the jolts of pain from her wound. She tried to push free but Zadesh's arms were as powerful as clamps. From behind, it looked like she was holding him back.

"I'm going to make you regret letting the idea of running away ever cross your mind." Zadesh threatened in another whisper in her ear. "Keep your mouth shut as we leave. Do that and there's a chance I might be merciful. Do you understand, Alisha?"

Helplessly, she pressed her forehead against his chest, biting her lip. Her heart raced in a panic. Alisha wanted to refuse…but what could she do? Finally, her wings fell against her sides and she nodded, confirming she understood his order.

Zadesh shifted. He wrapped an arm around Alisha's shoulder, giving the Princess and her friends a smile.

"Thank you all for taking such good care of my Alisha." He told them. "Now, I believe it's time we were on our way."

"Wait a minute!" Jasmine took a step forward. She looked at the harpy with question, "Alisha, what about your mother?"

Again the harpy bit her lip. She felt Zadesh's hand tightened around her, reminding her not to disobey him.

Zadesh's eyes narrowed as he glanced down angrily at Alisha. Since when did this little bird start chirping at people? No matter, he could not let his mask fall now—not when he was so close.

The Princess said her name again, "Alisha?" hoping for a response.

"She doesn't have a mother." He took the liberty of answering the question. Then he cocked his head a tad to the side. "Did she tell you that?"

Jasmine nodded. But her stare was hard on him, filled with suspicion. "Yes, and she told me about the scars on her back. She said that a human caused them."

Zadesh didn't flinch at the harshness of her tone. "And you suspect that _I _am the human responsible for those scars, your highness?" he asked, meeting her stare.

"I am."

"Princess, as deeply touched that I am that you seem to care for Alisha very much, I'm appalled that you accuse me of such an action. Why would I ever do anything to harm this innocent creature?"

When no one responded, unable to support with evidence, Zadesh went on.

"Whatever Alisha has told you about me, they are all false. I never abused her, neither physically or verbally."

"Then how did those scars get on her back?" Jasmine demanded.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Alisha has always had them, or maybe she inflicted them on herself to have proof for her lies. But I do know this: Alisha has a horrible habit of making up stories, and she will do whatever she can to keep them going — even if it means she has to hurt herself."

Everyone's eyes widened and they looked at the harpy. Their shocked stares were like daggers to Alisha. She had to look away. She couldn't bear meeting them, it hurt too much.

"That makes no sense!" Aladdin exclaimed.

"I know." Zadesh agreed. "How do you think I feel? When everyone else rejected and scorned her, I was the only who took Alisha in under the goodness of my heart. I gave her food and shelter — and how does this little ingrate show her appreciation? She fabricates story after story, doing everything in her power to make me look like a villain!"

The harpy's wing clenched at her side. _That's because you _are_ the villain._

She heard him sigh, exasperatedly. "I assure you all that none of you are the first to fall for Alisha's lies. Many others have, as well. I guess she thought she could get away with it this time if she ran away."

Then, with a clear of his throat, Zadesh said, "Your majesty, my deepest apologies for Alisha's deceit. Once again, you have my thanks. But we must be on our way. If you do not mind, we'll let ourselves out."

Alisha's head hung low as she and Zadesh walked past the silenced group. But the pain of their eyes still stung her. His cane tapping on the floor echoed down the hall as a thick silence stood between the two. Alisha didn't have to look at Zadesh to know he was furious, she felt it in his tight grip. She could feel his blood boil in it.

"I see you wasted no time telling them your entire back story without missing a single detail." He growled as soon as they were out of earshot. "Well, I'll just have to make sure that never happens again, won't I?"

Alisha's mouth never opened. Tears clouded her vision and they fell one by one down her face.

"Hey, Boss," Sabin greeted him when he and Alisha stepped into the throne room. "How'd it go?"

Alisha looked up and saw a new face stand by Sabin and Brone, a young man with golden hair.

"I think it went…rather well." Zadesh answered. "But we better get going. The Princess was getting suspicious of me. I have a feeling she isn't anymore, but I want to get out of here in case she—"

"Hold it!"

Alisha's eyes widened, while Zadesh gave a low growl. "In case she does that."

Plastering that smile, he spun around with his arm still around the harpy. "Yes Princess? Is something wrong?" he asked, innocently.

Alisha was shocked to see it wasn't just Jasmine, but Aladdin, Genie, Iago, Abu, Carpet, and Jerky, too. And all their glares were directed at Zadesh.

"Alisha," Jasmine somberly said to her, "do you want to go with him?"

She blinked at the question, disbelief taking over her. "Jasmine…" she breathed her name in a hushed voice so Zadesh wouldn't hear.

"If you do, then we won't stop you." She told her. "But if you don't, then I promise we won't let him take you. So I'll ask you one more time: Do you want to leave with this man?"

Alisha's wet eyes were as round as dish plates. Even after everything Zadesh had said, trying to convince to them that she was a liar, they were still…going to give her a chance?

With a touched tear falling, Alisha opened her mouth to answer, until —

"This is ridiculous!" Zadesh exclaimed, staring at them with disbelief. "Are you all daft? She lied to you, and now you're going to defend her?"

But he was ignored.

"It's 'yes' or 'no', Alisha." Aladdin said to her. "This is your choice."

"Oh, for the love of…" Zadesh grumbled again. "Forget it, we're leaving." Then he spun around, but he felt something move. When he looked around, Alisha had escaped his grip.

He looked at her, raising a brow. "Alisha, I said we're leaving." He told her. Of course, whenever he spoke to her it sounded more like an order.

But she never moved.

She stood in front of him, trembling and holding back tears. With as much courage she could gather, Alisha said only one word.

"No."

It was soft, but still audible. Zadesh stared incredulously at the harpy, as did Sabin and Brone, while Daniel looked around apprehensively.

He stood frozen, like a statue, gazing with round eyes at her. "…What did you say?"

"I…I…" Alisha took a breath and repeated, boldly, "I said no!"

Jasmine and the others felt nothing but pride for the harpy. They smiled and nodded at her, even though she didn't see.

A blossom of pride bloomed inside of Alisha as consciousness of what she had just said, and _who _she had just said it to, sunk in. Catching her breath, she stared straight at Zadesh. He glared at her, but, even with her legs trembling, she didn't drop her courage for a second.

"You…stupid little beast!" he shouted. Then with a swift movement of his arm grabbed Alisha by the hair on her head and yanked her so that they were face to face.

He growled, "You really think I care about what you want? I own you, Alisha!"

Jasmine did not hesitate. She bolted from her spot, running in Zadesh's direction. Her hand tightened into a fist, ready to collide it into his face. "Get your hands off of her!" she warned, only a few feet away from the man.

Suddenly, Jasmine felt her feet leave the ground. Brone had grabbed the Princess from behind and wrapped his beefy arms around her small torso, binding her arms to her sides. Then he squeezed, making her cry out.

"_Jasmine!"_ They all cried.

Aladdin dashed like a bolt of lightning in the giant man's direction with Genie and Carpet by his sides. Razoul, who had been watching from afar, ran out with his scimitar in hand, joined by the other three guards.

Zadesh, after shoving Alisha at Daniel and telling him to chain her, calmly watched the group charging at him for a moment. A smile snaked on to his lips, and he then snapped his fingers. This alerted Sabin. From his side, he unsheathed his knife and tossed it to Brone.

Everyone froze in their tracks. Brone, restraining her with one arm, pressed the blade to Jasmine's throat. Sweat trickled down Aladdin's brow, his clenched fists shaking to restrain himself.

"Zadesh," the young man growled at him, "if you hurt her…"

With a chuckle, Zadesh playfully smiled at him. "You should have let me walk out of here with my harpy when you had the chance, boy. A little advice, next time you have a noble intention, try keeping it to yourself, all right?"

Then, with that smile, he glanced at Jasmine, laughing. "I have to say, Princess, you really had me figured out. You saw right through me. Not only are you beautiful but you're clever, too."

Quickly, he told her, "To be honest, it's beneath me to kill such an attractive woman. However, I won't think twice about putting a scar on that pretty face if _any_ of your friends get a sudden burst of courage."

With that said, he looked back at her companions. "Are we clear about that?"

No one moved a muscle. All they could do was glare with burning wrath at him. But Zadesh laughed them off. He knew as long as he had the Princess, Zadesh was invincible. No one would dare touch him.

Unexpectedly, he cried out an "ow!" when something sharp clamped itself on to his leg. Zadesh looked down and found an odd-looking, orange rat…thing had bitten him, burying its fangs into his calf.

With one good kick in the air, it was off. The mouse collided to the hard floor.

"Jerky!" Alisha cried out in a panic. With her wings binded to her sides by the chains, she was still able to pull herself out of the golden haired boy's arms, and she ran to the tiny mouse.

But she was captured just as quick. Zadesh grabbed her by her chains and pulled her back. He ignored her struggling as he ordered Daniel and Sabin to open the doors.

They did as ordered.

Zadesh then tipped his hat at Aladdin and his friends, smirking at his own triumph. "It has been a pleasure, gentleman. Truly it has. But business calls."

He pushed Alisha back into Daniel's arms and started for the door, his other men following him. "What about Jasmine?" Zadesh heard the young man demand.

"Fear not," he said, not even glancing in his direction, "we're just going to hang on to her for a little while. Just to be sure none of you get any ideas. That's all."

Rage seethed through Aladdin's body as he watched him and his goons walk out the door.

Outside, Sabin and Brone laughed as they walked down the stairs.

"You were amazing back there, Boss!" they praised.

Nodding, Zadesh's smile widened, his ego glowing. "Yes, it was very impressive, wasn't it? Though some things didn't go _exactly _as planned, everything still managed to work out."

Hearing the sounds of rattling chains, Zadesh stopped and turned around. The corners of his mouth flattened into a line watching Daniel struggle to drag Alisha down the stairs. As he pulled her back, she tried to break free of his hold on her. Never had Zadesh seen such a determination shine in the harpy. In fact, he never saw _anything _shine in her.

_Looks like my little dove finally grew a spine…I'm going to have to fix that._ He thought.

In a heartbeat, Zadesh was by the young hunter's side, his hand on the chain. "Watch," he ordered.

Alisha struggled to break free of their grip. She couldn't go back, she wouldn't go back. She vowed she never would, she—

A sudden yank stopped her thoughts. But this was much different than from the yanks before; this was much stronger. So strong, the harpy found herself falling backwards. For a moment, time seemed to have stopped, until she felt was one shock of pain after another as she tumbled down the steps. Her arrow wound screamed with each step, falling like a rag doll down every one of them.

She hoped running in to either Brone or Sabin would make her stop, but they moved out of the way, letting the harpy fall down the rest of the way.

Alisha cried out as she felt that final jolt when she finally hit the ground. She heard Jasmine's voice, but the pain kept her from responding.

On the stairs, Daniel's eyes were round as he looked at Zadesh. After he grabbed the chain and gave it one good pull, instead of catching her from falling, _he moved out of the way._ Daniel couldn't believe his eyes.

"That, Daniel," Zadesh said, "is how you take control. If I'm going to put you in charge of her, you better start doing things like what I just did. Otherwise she'll never respect you."

Then his black eyes rested on the writhing harpy, and he felt it. It burned in his chest like the flame of a candle; growing brighter the longer he looked at her. Zadesh started down the steps, fueled by that dark burning. The way she had said no to him like that…he clenched his teeth together.

Everyone watched him, unsure of what he was doing. "Don't touch her." Jasmine warned before Brone held the knife closer to her neck.

"Princess," Zadesh began, "your heart is in the right place. I admire you for that. But do not waste it on such a pathetic creature."

And she was indeed pathetic. Probably the most pathetic thing he had ever laid eyes on. And she had the nerve to disobey him! Zadesh put his hand around his back. Hidden from even the keenest eyes, hooked around his belt and under the cover of his coat, Zadesh pulled out his whip. It unfurled like the tail of a snake. Slowly, he felt the power and control start to flow from his hand and up his arm.

Soon, they flowed through his entire body and soul.

This, he knew, would make sure she never opened her mouth again.

Daniel's stomach churned and he looked away. He couldn't watch…!

Down below, Alisha's pain had died down enough to give her enough strength to look up. When she saw Zadesh standing above her, holding that whip in his hand, her green eyes shot wide. Inside of her, that blossoming flower of confidence and bravery died…

His eyes…his eyes had that same look from the first time he used that thing on her! The only thing she saw, squirming like an eel in those two night-black pools, that day.

Remorselessness…!

"You know Alisha," Zadesh said, giving that smile, "there is a very wise saying that goes: 'Every action, good or bad, is burdened with the weight of its consequence'. And not only is it wise, but it is also very true, as well."

He kneeled down, then, to her level. That smile staying perfectly in place. Zadesh knew he had Alisha in the palm of his hand. She was a fly — a pathetic, miserable fly — caught in his web. And he was the spider, seconds away from bearing his fangs and draining the very life out of her body until the final drop.

"And your actions, my little dove, have caused a very great consequence for yourself."

In a flash, Zadesh was on his feet again, lifting his arm in the air. Alisha, with tears cascading down her face, trembled. She couldn't contain her fear any longer. She screamed.

Alisha screamed as loud as her lungs could carry her voice.

— Then a disturbance erupted.

The ground began to quake, cause everyone who was standing to lose their footing. When Brone fell over, both Jasmine and the knife tumbled out of his grip. She slipped down a step or two and braced herself. Sabin toppled over the fat man, while Daniel hung on to the stairs for dear life.

Alisha and Zadesh both felt their hearts rattle in their chests. He had fallen over, dropping both his cane and his whip, and felt the ground bounce underneath him, holding on to his hat with a tight grip.

What was this? An earthquake?!

…If only.

There followed yet another eruption that happened only a few hundred feet away from the man and the harpy. The ground gave in, and then —

—_BOOM!_

Dirt, dust, and debris exploded in the air, falling on Alisha and Zadesh like rain. They shielded their faces, feeling the debris bounce off them while the dirt and dust showered them.

With his heart pounding, Zadesh was the first to look up when it was finished. Through a cloud of dirt and dust, his eyes widened as he met a glare, a glare from a pair of bright yellow and green slit eyes, followed by the unmistakable sound of a hiss.


End file.
